Hey,

I got hauled off and questioned by the authorities. They threatened to make me fire myself because I don’t believe in human caused global warming. It’s the biggest scam in our society today.

I had to fight. I’m a grubby biker who believes in oil, gas and freedom. Let’s hit the news:



The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. 





NEWS FROM THE TWISTED ROAD, STURGIS 2020: Day Two by Lucinda Belden

This is part two of a 6-part series on attempting to ride the top 14 most popular rides around the Sturgis area in one week. We all know that riding is not the only thing you want to do when you arrive in a new area. It’s the ride, but it is also the things that you experience along the way, that will make you want to return. If you missed part one, I covered a ride through Spearfish Canyon round to Sundance Road, ending up at Devil’s Tower.

Each Sturgis ride does not have to be done in the order presented (or in one week), but at some point these are all great rides for you to take. Stay tuned for the following four blogs. Ride on!

This road map will take you round trip. Most of the ride maps in this series are one-way, but this ride can be started and ended in Sturgis. This is a three-hour round-trip ride, so not all day on the bike. It’s designed for you to be able to spend more time stopping for photos and for a decent time in Deadwood.



DEADWOOD

I have you starting off in Sturgis but if you’re coming from another area, you will—at the very least—want to make Deadwood your starting point. I have to say from my own personal experience, Deadwood was my favorite town out of the rides around Sturgis. I like the balance Deadwood keeps between its history and modern tourism.

You can bounce down both sides of the main street and hit little casinos along the way. Even if you’re not interested in gambling (although I did pretty well!), each casino has memorabilia worth dipping your moto boot in.

There’s way more. Head over to the Twisted Road site.








BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!–
NEW ADVENTURE BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for February 11, 2021

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/NEW_ADVENTURE_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_February_11_2021.aspx

Thoughts…For a modern bike, that new Chief rocks. I then saw your post yesterday on the Sportster. W.T.F. – is Harley’s CEO asleep?

To me , the new Chief fills a hole in the market left by the Dyna, not the Sportster, that said, Harley’s range is shrinking whilst Indian’s grows. What kind of corporate strategy has he got?

I can’t see how giving up market to a competitor with a broader range is going to help Harley survive.

Don’t get me started on that goddamn ugly adventure bike either. Good luck Harley, plunging into a market niche that their competition has
a 40-year head start on.

I’m sad about the Sportster, they have a huge following in the UK. My nephew has just scored a mint 2019 1200 Iron. I feel sadder about the risks Harley face if they don’t understand their market.

One last comment- so Harley think superchargers are the answer? Interesting. There’s a major tuning shop here does blowers for the Milwaukee Eight. Big, instant power, no lag, all good. I’ve got an American Eaton on my car, it’s great.

But motorcycles are supposed to be minimalist, and a blower is just more clutter. I’m sure there’s a reason more manufacturers don’t used superchargers on bikes, just like they found with Turbos.

Ref your house move- we both know, ‘as one door closes, another one opens’!

–Paul Harris
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
United Kingdom








OFFICIAL BIKERNET FORTUNE COOKIE, HOW TO BOOST YOUR FUTURE PROSPERITY LUCK IN 2021–2021 Flying Star #9 in NortheastThe NORTHEAST – Promises of Future Prosperity from the # 9 StarFuture Prosperity from the # 9 Star

The #9 is the Purple Star which represents the “Star Of Future Prosperity”. It is also regarded as the Completion and the Magnifying star. As the latter, it brings a magni?cation of both good and bad. As the completion number, it helps residents in the sector it occupies to bring important projects to a successful ?nish. We are entering Period 9 in three more years and the number 9 is becoming more and more powerful and auspicious as we are approaching year 2024 so it’s imperative that you enhance it as it will bring serious Prosperity and Wealth Luck for you in the near future!

Many feng shui masters even regard the 9 as being just as powerful as the 8. In the year 2021, the number 9 brings excellent good luck to the Northeast thereby bene?ting everyone residing within this sector, Ox, Tigers and the youngest son. This also brings bene?ts to NE sitting houses, which means that your house would then be facing SW.



This star helps lay groundwork for all kinds of good fortune and lucky outcomes in the near future. Those with creative-thinking, and brave enough to execute their ideas can expect good results in the near future. Promotion and business opportunities will be available for you when your office or bedroom is located in the Northeast. School-going children who study in this sector can experience enhanced examination luck or the luck to attain scholarship or get accepted to a reputable university. Relationships of couples will be improved if they sleep in the NE sector in 2021.

This Star also brings fame and recognition luck – the luck that propels you to be acknowledged and rewarded for your achievement and hard work.





1950 VINCENT COMET: TINA FROM THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM– Big Sid” Biberman had a reputation far and wide for building fast Vincents, mostly for drag racing. Truly a big guy at 6 foot 5 inches and around 300 pounds, he needed all the horsepower he could get.

Over time, his racing career tapered off and he focused on the Vincati project, a father and son effort to install a Vincent Rapide engine in a 1970s Ducati GT750 chassis; their favorite motor in an updated chassis.

With the Vincati very successfully completed, the next father and son effort was a building a land speed record Vincent, and competing for a Land Speed Record. Big Sid and Matthew Biberman used the leftover parts from the Vincati project to build a land speed record machine, a Vincent single they named “Tina”.

Tina’s single-cylinder 500cc engine is from a 1950 Vincent Comet, and was extensively modified by Sid and Vincent performance expert Steve Hamel. Displacement was upped 20% to 598cc’s. The 1960’s era Gardner carb is interesting and apparently worked as well as contemporary magazine articles claimed. Numerous tuning and safety modifications have been made including rear-set controls to allow the rider to tuck in at high speeds, important on the salt, and insulated fuel lines to keep fuel cooler.



The considerable efforts of the father and son team paid off: Tina competed at the ECTA “Monster Mile” at Maxton, North Carolina in 2009 and set a record of 105.506 mph in the Modified Vintage Gas 650cc class. Tina’s best run to date occurred at the 2011 BUB meet at the Bonneville Salt Flats where she recorded a speed of 110.9 mph. It was a great outing but not enough to secure the record then held by a BSA 650 twin with a speed of 116mph. In addition to her record at Maxton, Tina also holds the ECTA 650cc M-VG class record for the Wilmington, Ohio race course with a speed of 102.420 (9/30/2012). Unfortunately, with Sid’s death in 2013, Tina’s development came to an end.

Looking back at Tina’s race outings, Matthew has said, “We never achieved the full potential of the bike, but we set two records and always went home without any significant damage and smiles on our faces. Ultimately, that’s a success.” Tina is currently on display in the Museum. We contacted Matthew last week to tell him Tina was an upcoming Featured Bike. His comment, “Thinking about Tina on a cold winter’s day makes me think of its exhaust note, truly a thumper on an open pipe.”

Tina is one of half a dozen Vincents on display at the National Motorcycle Museum, stock and built for racing. The Vincati, built by Sid and Matthew, is also on loan and you can see the fine workmanship on this surprising engine swap the next time you visit.

Specifications:

Engine: OHV Single, Air Cooled
Displacement: Increased to 598cc
Compression Ratio: 9:5 to 1
Induction: Gardner Carburetor, Remote Float
Camshaft: Andrews Racing
Crankshaft: Custom by Terry Prince
Primary: Chain Driven
Clutch: Multi-Plate, Wet
Transmission: Four-speed, Norton Atlas
Final Drive: Chain
Rolling Chassis: 1953 Vincent Rapide
Fork: Vincent Girdraulic
Brakes: Twin 7” SLS Drums Front, 7? SLS Drum Rear
Wheelbase: 56 Inches
Weight: 345 Pounds



See the whole story at the National Motorcycle Museum web site.

–Bandit





NEWS FROM THE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION–Nominees Wanted for the 2021 Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame (MRFHOF) was introduced at the Meeting of the Minds in Denver, Colorado. This institution was created to recognize individuals that have worked through the MRF to positively impact motorcycling. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is proud to announce that the nomination process for the next class of inductees into the MRFHOF is now open.

The nomination form and a timeline are posted on the MRF website at:

https://mrf.org/mrf-hall-of-fame/

Nomination applications are due to the Hall of Fame Committee by March 1st, 2021 – please send completed forms to communications@mrf.org

Past Motorcycle Riders Foundation Hall of Fame inductees are: Keith “Bandit” Ball, Karen Bolin, Mark Buckner, Vince Consiglio, Wayne Curtin, Michael “Balls” Farabaugh, “Still” Ray Fitzgerald, Richard Gray, Fredric Harrell, Teresa Hepker, Bob Illingworth, Nathan “Buck” Kittredge, Simon Milward, Ed Netterberg, JoAnne Packard, Sherman Packard, Lee Richardson, Rodney Roberts, Jerry “JT” Thomas, Todd Vandermyde, Paul Vestal, Penny Walker, Ed Youngblood, Wanda Hummel-Shultz, “Biker” Jim Rhoades, Lee Ryan, Marc Falsetti, Gary Klinker, Charlie Williams, Dave Dwyer, “Radio” Bob Letourneau, “Farmer” John Eggers and Michael “Boz” Kerr.



About Motorcycle Riders Foundation

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.







SOMETHING CALMING FROM THE 5-BALL MONK–People, Community and You

A car ahead was moving like a turtle and not giving me way in spite of my continuous honking! I was on brink of losing my cool when I noticed the small sticker on the car’s rear!

“Physically challenged; Please be patient.”

And that changed everything!!

I immediately went calm & slowed down!!

In fact, I got a little protective of the car & the driver!!!

I reached home a few minutes late, but it was ok!

And then it struck me.

Would I have been patient if there was no sticker ?

Why do we need stickers to be patient with people!?

Will we be more patient & kind with others if people had labels pasted on their foreheads?

Labels like ——

“ Lost my job”
“Fighting cancer”
“Going through a bad divorce”
“Suffering Emotional abuse “
“Lost a loved one”
“Feeling worthless”
“Financially broken”

….and more like these!!

Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.

The least we can do is to be patient, kind & compassionate

*Let us respect the Invisible Labels !!*

–Wayfarer
Bikernet Monk
5-Ball Temple at the base of the Gray Mountain





NEWS FROM THE SADDLEMEN TEAM–
I do have a bit to share, Saddlemen has purchased a new facility in Long Beach, 718 W. Anaheim Street. Which at one time housed another motorcycle business.

The Saddlemen Corporation Headquarters will house our R&D department, sales, metal shop, carbon fiber/ race development as well as our social media department. Full circle for me in the motorcycle industry.


–Buster, Team Saddlemen






BROTHER DOWN–The world has lost a legend RIP Pat Leahy

–Sam Burns






LORENZO LAMAS & KENNA NICOLE SCOTT ENGAGED!–LOS ANGELES, CA, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 — Lorenzo Lamas of Los Angeles and Kenna Nicole Scott of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho have announced their engagement. The couple made the news public during a romantic pre-Valentine’s Day weekend in Las Vegas.

“Kenna and I met through my Godmother Francesca Daniels last April. I proposed to Kenna on Thursday the 11th of February In Las Vegas. She accepted my Lifetime Valentines request. The last 10 months with Kenna have been the most romantic months of my life and we have fallen deeply in love. It is a love like no other and we look forward to the day we become husband and wife. Sometimes love waits for the stars to align and two soul paths to intersect. We are ecstatic!” — Lorenzo Lamas.

Lorenzo Lamas is an International Film, Television, Stage Actor, Director, Producer, and Singer who is recognized as one of the World’s most admired stars. Best known for his nine year run as Lance Cumson on “Falcon Crest,” and for his five year run as Reno Raines on “Renegade.”

He is Californian born and the son of movie and stage star Arlene Dahl and the legendary Fernando Lamas and the stepson of swimming champion, Esther Williams.

Lorenzo is a certified pilot and flight instructor, which makes him active with a number of charitable organizations such as a volunteer pilot providing free air transportation to medical facilities. He is an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiast, and participates in many charity related rides.

Kenna Nicole Scott, born and raised in Boise, Idaho, moved to Los Angeles to pursue a successful modeling career. In the 2000’s she modeled for national campaigns for Guess jeans and Emporio Armani. After living in Los Angeles for most of a decade, she decided to return to Idaho with her husband at the time to raise her children. She has owned and managed startup companies and is also a freelance copy writer for companies like Oxyfresh and K9 connoisseur.

She and Lorenzo currently travel back and forth depending on their schedules and look forward to deciding on their future home together in the near future.

Lorenzo and Kenna have many shared interest; they enjoy the beach, motorcycling, and spending as much time together as possible. They are also involved in giving back to their communities and are actively involved with a number of nonprofit organizations.

–Cherry Hepburn





NEWS FROM THE DIME BAG HEADQUARTERS–We just finished this handmade leather seat for Mario’s Triumph. Started using the Iwata Beginner Airbrush Kit to apply the dye. It works really well and will apply perfectly to make seats.

–Adam Croft
DimeBag Leather
309-336-0714
Dimebagleather@yahoo.com





STAFFER MOURNS–
I loved Jon Towle cartoons – Nick the Dick – I saw on Bikernet. They are still there. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/nick_the_dick.aspx

And the motorcycle museum of Dale was exceptional.

So much sad news. Hope you are okay. Take care.

Best Wishes,
–Ujjwal Dey
International Bureau Chief
Bikernet.com
India





PATRICK MOORE BREAKS ALL THE RULES—Some folks are like that. He was the head of Green Peace for over 15 years and saved the whales and stopped atomic bomb testing in the ocean. He was and is an environmentalists. But then the environmental community changed and went radical.

Patrick left the ranks, but as the movement got nuts, he felt the need to share the true facts. One is that science is never settled. The meaning of science is to study and follow changes in knowledge. It doesn’t stop.

He recently wrote a book called, Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom. I bought two immediately. He sent me this video link of a lecture: https://www.thegwpf.com/video-of-patrick-moores-gwpf-lecture-should-we-celebrate-co2/

Here’s a couple of quotes from his book: During the last glacial maximum, 20,000 years ago, CO2 fell to about 180 ppm, only 30 ppm above the level where plants begin to die from CO2 starvation. At lower than 150 ppm there simply isn’t a high enough concentration of carbon dioxide for plants to survive.



CO2 levels have been dropping for millions of years. Since the industrial age began about 100 years ago the CO2 level has increased to 415 ppm, that’s what gave Al Gore the excuse to attack. But he was backwards. He should have been celebrating, but then he wouldn’t make millions on carbon credits.

Here’s the kicker, “When we use fossil fuels, we are returning CO2 to the atmosphere, where it came from in the first place. Our emissions have brought an end to the 150 million-year decline of carbon dioxide and we are beginning to restore a balance to the global carbon cycle.” Actually, the CO2 level should be closer or above 2000 ppm and there is no connection between carbon dioxide levels and the temperature.

So, be proud you ride an internal combustion engine and drive an old truck. You’re saving life on earth.–Bandit







[page break]




QUICK, New Bikernet Reader Comment!–
If Donald Trump Began Blogging On Bikernet

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/If_Donald_Trump_Began_Blogging_On_Bikernet.aspx

Thanks.


— Ruben Serrano Sr.
streetchopper81@gmail.com
Sinton, TX








TEXAS WEATHER REPORT– Jack Daniels thermometer says it’s 64 in the garage, digital says everything is 60. This door isn’t insulated, I have a 5’ overhang, plus I threw a blanket on it. 30 degrees and dropping outside tomorrow 20s-10. Not Deadwood, Houston, gonna be an interesting couple days here in South Texas!





The accident in Fort Worth was a toll road managed by a private company, the first thing I asked was why wasn’t the road treated? Wasn’t like it snuck up on them. And a random Smoke Out image, think I may have figured the computer issue?

–RFR





GOVERNMENT NEWS–Just wanted to let you know – today I received my 2021 Stimulus Package.



It contained two tomato seeds, cornbread mix, two discount coupons to McDonald’s, a ‘Biden Hope & Change’ bumper sticker, a prayer rug, a machine to blow smoke up my ass and a ‘Blame it on Trump’ poster for the front yard.



The directions were in Spanish.

Yours should arrive soon.

–Rik Savenko







GUN NUT REPORT–
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox made good on a campaign promise Friday and signed a bill into law granting anyone over the age of 21 and lawfully allowed to possess a firearm the right to concealed carry without a permit.

Utah House Bill 60, introduced by state Rep. Walt Brooks, passed the state Senate earlier this week, paving the way for the governor to amend existing statutes.

The law will go into effect in May and makes Utah the 18th state to adopt permitless concealed carry, according to the governor.

Gun owners who want a permit in order to take advantage of reciprocity laws in other states will still be able to obtain one.

He said it enhances Second Amendment protections in the state.

It also creates a statewide suicide prevention and education fund.

The National Rifle Association, which had backed HB 60, praised Cox for signing it in a statement Friday.

“There is no reason a law-abiding person should have to ask for permission to carry a firearm for self-defense,” said Jason Ouimet, the executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “The passage of this bill demonstrates Utah’s commitment to protecting the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.”









LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK–2013 Harley-Davidson FLTRX – Road Glide® Custom ONLY $14,995.00

See it here: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=9978413

This bike is a nice Road Glide with lots of extra’s

ONLY 29145.00 Miles !!!!!

2013 Blue Harley-Davidson ROAD GLIDE TOURING FLTRX



Some of the features/Add-on’s on this bike

* 103c.i. Motor
* 6-Speed Trans
* 12 inch T-Bars
* Bassani two-in-one exhaust system
* 6×9 Speaker lids
* Aftermarket Radio with amp



This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 101 point safety and mechanical inspection. Whether your looking to commute to work, ride the coast or take that dream vacation, this bike is ready to go!!!

EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!

Fill out an online application and ride today!!!

**Open 7 days a week**

Just $14,995.00 at Lifestyle Cycles (714) 490-0155





AIR STREAM STUDIOS REAR BRAKE SET-UP– Here are some photos of the way I’ve decided to set up the Rear Brake on the ‘Trouble Maker’ Chopper I’ve resurrected.












–EL WAGGS
CERTIFIED BIKERNET TECHNICIAN
BIKERNET.COM






QUICK, A WORD FROM THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARIAN– A man in a Florida supermarket tried to buy half a head of lettuce.
The very young produce assistant told him that they sell only whole heads of lettuce.
The man persisted and asked to see the manager. The boy said he’d ask his manager about it.

Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager: “Some asshole wants to buy half a head of lettuce.” As he finished his sentence, he turned to find the man standing right behind him, so he added, “And this gentleman has kindly offered to buy the other half.”

The manager approved the deal, and the man went on his way.

Later the manager said to the boy, “I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation earlier. We like people who think on their feet here. Where are you from, son?”

“Canada, sir,” the boy replied.
“Well, why did you leave Canada?” the manager asked.

The boy said, “Sir, there’s nothing but whores and hockey players up there.”

“Really?” asked the manager, “My wife is from Canada.”

“No kidding?” replied the boy. “Who’d she play for?”

–EL WAGGS




BIKER LIVES MATTER FOUNDER SPEAKS–My name is John Herlihy. My friends call me Rogue. I have been asked a lot why I and some others started an organization named Biker Lives Matter and why it is important to me.

My answer is simple, there is a need for an organization that calls attention to the tragic loss of lives and livelihoods from motorcycle crashes.

To better understand how this came about, we should look at some background that led up to Biker Lives Matter. I have been riding motorcycles for 69 years and both my life and that of the others who ride has always been important to me. I was taught to ride by a friend at the age of 14 and then continued to improve that by riding with people who had more experience than me, that is just the way it was done years ago.

Through the years that I have been riding, I have seen many people injured and I know too many that have died. I personally have had my share of crashes and I even flatlined in the operating room after one of them. I consider myself one of the lucky ones to still be riding at the age of 83 years old.

In the 1970s, I became involved in motorcycle rights and safety. At the time, motorcycle injury and death rate were high so the government and insurance companies began trying to pass laws that they hoped would help protect motorcyclists when crashes happened.

They started by passing legislation such as mandatory helmet laws. While I have no issue with wearing helmets, I feel it should be a matter of choice. I (and others) also felt it was typical of the government to put the cart before the horse when a more practical approach would be to lower the crashes and collisions. That is easier said than done since so many motorists who are operating a vehicle are not paying attention to what they are supposed to be doing.

As motorcycle safety advocates, we worked on trying to educate the driving public to share the road with motorcycles, we also knew we needed to come up with a way to better educate the motorcyclists on the operation of the motorcycle.

The American Motorcycle Association put on the first Meeting of The Minds and invited 50 people with various backgrounds in motorcycling to attend. I had the privilege of being one of those people. What was discussed at that meeting eventually led to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and courses to teach new riders.

Our hopes were that defensive riding would help motorcyclists stay alive while we worked on changing laws that would make other vehicle operators be aware of us on the road and penalize those who violated our space and right to be there.




I am sorry to say that we have not been as successful as we should be in that aspect and 50 years later, we are still working on it. In the meantime, motorcyclists were and still are being injured and killed. It is unacceptable and something must be done.

In 1996, Vicki Sanfelipo started Accident Scene Management and began teaching people what to do at these incidents where motorcyclists were injured. Her program taught motorcyclists to help each other and keep the injured riders alive until the Paramedics and or more experienced medical staff arrived and was able to take over. It was more years than I wanted before I found an opportunity to take her course, but eventually I did and even helped with classes being taught in Florida. I now carry a trauma kit in my left saddlebag. So far, I have only used it once when her husband Tony and I were in Alabama shooting a movie and our friend Athena ran off the road and needed some medical attention. While Athena was not seriously injured, she was hurt and needed our help. Her crash was not life threatening but there are many that are.

More life threatening are collisions with other vehicles. It is at epidemic stage and motorcyclist are dying at an alarming rate despite all of the things that we have put in place. We have tried for many years to educate the public that motorcyclists have a right to the road the operators of these vehicles continue to drive stupid and without regard for others.

They refuse to pay attention to the operation of their vehicle. Yes, recent legislation pertaining to cell phone use has helped but it has not gone far enough. I do not think you will find anyone that will disagree that the largest cause of injury and death to motorcyclist is another vehicle violating its right of way. The most common is making a left turn in front of them.

People in motorcycling rights and safety have been trying to do something about changing the law from minor fines that is the most common sentence for those found guilty of violating the right of way of another motorist for years. There has been limited success in some states but not in others. Since efforts to educate has not worked it is now time to legislate.

Yes, I am saying it out loud. I am one who does not care for new laws either and have fought for freedom but in this case, it seems like the only solution. Ignoring where we find ourselves after all these years has not changed a thing. We do know that when the courts increase fines, take away operator’s licenses, and make them attend safety classes it does work as a deterrent for other vehicle violations.

I believe that we have waited way too long and what we have been doing to protect ourselves is not working. Biker Lives Matter believes that increasing the penalties for drivers who violate others right away is long overdue and that those penalties should continue to increase it until violators pay attention.

The revenue from increased fines can help pay for also having the offender attend safety courses. Some say it is inconvenient for them to attend safety courses. Well, that’s just too bad since it is not as inconvenient as people having to visit family members in the hospital or planning funerals for them.

I think back to the days of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and what they have done to change things. There are numerous organizations that are promoting increasing penalties for violation of right of way violations, some have had success and others still working on it.

We need to work with motorcycle rights organizations (MROs) to get bills introduced to our state legislators and for all of us to contact those legislators to let them know that if they do not vote to pass laws that we will vote for whoever is running against them in the next state election.

I believe that Biker Lives Matter can help organization that are already in place by sharing information with interested parties and bringing awareness to the issues through my involvement in the motorcycle media and bringing more awareness to the issues.

Though I have been always interested in this topic it struck home on September 9, 2018 at 7:49PM when my son Dale was struck by a vehicle making an illegal left turn. He ended up losing his left foot. I and others believe he could have also lost his life if there was not a nurse that just happened to be on the scene and tended to him until more help arrived.

I continue to be thankful for organizations like Accident Scene Management and the Motorcycle Rights Organization that continue to fight to keep us safe and treated fairly concerning our rights.

I am requesting that anyone who can to help us change what is happening on our roadways to our brothers, sister, son, daughters and other family members who ride do so.

Like many things in the past, we can win this war against us. I will continue to do what I can to help that happen. To: https://bikerlivesmatter.com/

ROGUE –
Senior Editor
Bikernet.com
Photojournalist – Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Published on Road Guardians







NEWS FROM THE NMA–Crimes against Motorists:
Motorists have always been a target for criminals, but since the pandemic began, it seems the nefarious activity has increased dramatically. Some are violent, most involve property loss and all turn victims’ lives upside down.

For example, cities large and small have reported an increase in carjackings. The Associated Press has reported cases are on the rise in Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Wichita, and even in Wentzville, Missouri (population 39,000).

In Minneapolis, carjackings were up 537 percent in November 2020 with 125 incidents.

By the end of 2020, Chicago had a total of 1,362 carjackings, which was a 105 percent increase from 2019. That’s a daily average of nearly four, with the South and Westside neighborhoods having the worst rates.

So, what is a carjacking? Generally, they happen in larger cities, with primary targets being older drivers and women. Rideshare drivers are also victimized in some cities. Criminals typically approach people near or in their cars and are preoccupied with looking at their phones, putting groceries in the car, or taking out a child from a car seat. A common ruse is to approach while asking for directions, and then the carjacker takes swift and forceful action. The Car Coach recently outlined what you can do to protect yourself against carjackers.

Police say many factors have contributed to the increase in carjackings. Mask wearing is common now. The sight of a masked person is not as alarming, so it becomes much easier for perpetrators to gain close approach before subduing the driver and commandeering the vehicle without showing their faces. Police officials also state it doesn’t help that young people are currently not attending school and have a lot of time on their hands. Minneapolis Police Commander Charlie Adams told ABC News that 80 percent of carjackings and robberies are done by nine to seventeen-year-old juveniles.

Police around the country ask motorists and passengers to be vigilant and situationally aware, advise not to get distracted when entering or exiting vehicles or at intersections. If someone has a knife or gun, don’t be a hero—your life is worth more than property.

Loyola University Criminology Professor Art Lurigo said telecommuting for work had decreased home burglary by nine percent in the past year. Due to closed shops, business theft has gone down 20 percent. Lurigo said that carjacking for criminals is far more predictable than a typical armed robbery, adding, ” In a carjacking, you know exactly what you’re stealing…it’s a profitable crime, with mostly low risk.”

Unfortunately, so is vehicle theft, which went up 9.2 percent in 2020 over 2019 rates, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In 2020, 878,080 vehicles were stolen, which is the highest number in a decade. NICB President David Glawe said in a statement, “Thieves exploit opportunities and may look for vehicles parked in the same location or citizens not taking proper measures to secure their vehicles.”

To prevent car thefts, the NICB urges owners to practice sense by doing the following:

Lock your vehicle every time you park
Park in well-lit areas
Do not leave an extra key with a fob inside the car—thieves have a way to use the technology to open the door.
Consider purchasing an aftermarket alarm system
Install a kill switch or starter disabler
Install a GPS tracking device.

Catalytic converters are also now a target for thieves. In St. Louis, converter thefts were eight times higher in 2020 than in other years. Lexington, SC and Wichita, KS reported triple thefts last year. In general, numbers of this kind of theft are up across the board.

Criminals target this vehicle part because it has been built with precious metals that have gone up in price—in particular, palladium and rhodium. Vehicle owners are stuck with a massive repair bill when a converter is stolen while the thief has a big payday. The Toyota Prius and other hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles are especially attractive to thieves.

Accident scams are another crime against motorists. Check out NMA Newsletter #621 for more information. So are predatory towing scams. NMA Newsletter #611 provides details on how not to be a victim of these criminal activities.

Other scams abound but have not necessarily increased since the pandemic. A popular one is an email or text that claims you ran a red light and must immediately pay a fine. Remember, if a city or county has an automated camera program, it is required by statute to mail you an automated ticket.

Criminals use these deceptions to phish for identity or financial information to exploit. Identity theft is not a violent crime but certainly is one that makes it difficult for victims to recover their finances and other identity issues.

This scam recently resurfaced in Yakima County, Washington State. Officials warned residents that if they receive an email stating you were caught on video driving through a red light, don’t respond. There are no red-light cameras in the Yakima Valley.

A radio announcer in the Jersey Shore recently received that type of email and warned his listeners not to click on links in suspicious emails and, even better, don’t open the communication to begin with. The best thing to do is delete it.

If you have been a victim of a recent motorist scam, consider sharing your story by contacting us at nma@motorists.org so that we can warn others. Your anonymity will be protected.

–NMA





STAFF MEMBER COMMENT— I just read where Harley-Davidson is discontinuing the Sportster line up and 2021 is the last year. First they stopped the Dyna line which in my opinion was a giant mistake. Now the Sportster will be gone soon, in my opinion another big mistake? The rumor mill has it that the Street Bob and the Deluxe Softail models will follow this line of thinking? So, I guess this means everyone wants a bagger? This is what happens when you hire tennis shoe makers to run a motorcycle company! It is

–STEALTH
Associate Editor
Bikernet.com





WHAT’S NEXT?—Could this be more crazy? Think about it for a minute. On the other hand, maybe you shouldn’t—too stressful. I’ll keep it to a minimum. So, we were hit with the virus, political upheaval in the streets, mass homelessness, the election, stay at home orders and I plan an escape Califa.

So, day before yesterday I get hit with maybe a stress related symptom and ended up in the hospital. I’m covered with monitors and cute nurses checking my vital signs constantly. They draw blood, check my urine and administer an ultra-sound of my heart.



The next day nurses and doctors come to my bedside every hour to tell me about myself. One nurse says I have high blood pressure and I’m an alcoholic. She scolds me and leaves. Another hour passes and a nurse arrived with a piece of paper and an astonished look. “You are so healthy. You have no…” And you know the list. She basically says that I’m golden and should be allowed to go home.



Then the doctor’s start to arrive. One after the next tell me a different story about my heart. In fact, two doctors arrive and contradict each other for ten minutes and leave. I still don’t know what happened?

These are the best minds supposedly, but they are only human. Imagine taking your car or motorcycle to a shop. Hang on. All I can say is, “Be patient, they are only humans.”

Have a terrific weekend and remember to Ride Free or die trying.

All the best,

KRB

by Brendan Menapace from https://www.goprintandpromo.com

Harley-Davidson Removes Branded Merchandise From Amazon, Prioritizes Its Own E-Commerce Initiative

Harley Davidson CEO Jochan Zeitz said his company will no longer sell branded merchandise on Amazon, instead choosing to prioritize its own dealers’ e-commerce efforts.

“We want to have a fully integrated, digital e-commerce business with our dealers,” Zeitz said, according to The Detroit News. “Amazon was not really something that got our dealers into the mix.”

It’s not hyperbole to say that Amazon dominates e-commerce. But there has been pushback against the site through initiatives such as Small Business Saturday and from big brands such as Nike, which previously announced it would stop selling sneakers and apparel on the site.

For Harley-Davidson, the concern is that Amazon is cutting into branded merchandise revenue from its dealerships. This is particularly pressing after Harley posted fourth-quarter losses, with Zeitz looking to steer the bike toward growth after years of declining sales in the U.S.

That plan, which Harley is calling “Hardwire,” will include premium apparel and accessories as a means of strengthening its brand as more than just a motorcycle company.

The decision to move away from Amazon is also a direct reversal of a previous plan to boost the company, after former CEO Matt Levatich debuted the “digital storefront” on Amazon in October 2018.

If selling on Amazon didn’t work, maybe becoming more autonomous in its e-commerce offerings could help. Consumer habits have changed, and the simple convenience of buying from Amazon isn’t always more popular than being able to buy directly from a company.

We might not see a mass brand exodus from Amazon any time soon, but between Nike and Harley-Davidson, we’re seeing a few major brands testing the waters of e-commerce without Amazon involvment.

Will Self-Driving Cars Push Motorcycles Off The Road?

Will there be a place on the road for motorcycles in a world with self-driving cars? FEMA’s Dolf Willigers takes a closer look at the future of our beloved bikes.

The question that concerns many motorcyclists is if there will be a place for them in a world with automatic and connected driving cars and other vehicles. Automated driving motorcycles is something that nobody seriously wants to consider. And be assured, despite some prototypes and views into the future, no motorcycle manufacturer has plans in this direction. But still, is there a future for us in an automated and connected environment?

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Will Self-Driving Cars Push Motorcycles Off The Road?– Will there be a place on the road for motorcycles in a world with self-driving cars? FEMA’s Dolf Willigers takes a closer look at the future of our beloved bikes.

The question that concerns many motorcyclists is if there will be a place for them in a world with automatic and connected driving cars and other vehicles. Automated driving motorcycles is something that nobody seriously wants to consider. And be assured, despite some prototypes and views into the future, no motorcycle manufacturer has plans in this direction. But still, is there a future for us in an automated and connected environment?

Let’s start with looking what is already there and what we can expect. Cars are becoming more automated and connected. Every new car has some advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on board. Think of adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, blind corner warning, advanced emergency braking, et cetera. In several years there will even be more systems.

– Advanced emergency braking (cars, vans)
– Alcohol interlock installation facilitation (cars, vans, trucks, buses),
– Drowsiness and attention detection (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Distraction recognition / prevention (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Event (accident) data recorder (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Emergency stop signal (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Full-width frontal occupant detection crash test – improved seatbelts (cars and vans)
– Head impact zone enlargement for pedestrians and cyclists -safety glass in case of crash (cars and vans)
– Intelligent speed assistance (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Lane keeping assist (cars, vans)
– Pole side impact occupant protection (cars, vans)
– Reversing camera or detection system (cars, vans, trucks, buses)
– Tyre pressure monitoring system (vans, trucks, buses)
– Vulnerable road user detection and warning on front and side of vehicle (trucks and buses)
– Vulnerable road user improved direct vision from driver’s position (trucks and buses).

Not all these devices are ADAS or automate part of the driving, but most of them are smaller or bigger steps towards automated vehicles. Next to this, many car manufacturers are already connecting the cars to your smartphone and to the factory with services like App Connect (Volkswagen), Mercedes Me Connect, FordPass Connect and Ford Sync 4A, BMW ConnectedDrive.

Of course, all these systems are very nice, but not every vehicle, let alone every road user, is fitted with them. Also, cars and other road users are still not connected with each other and full connectivity, where everything and everybody is somehow connected, will probably never exist.

So, cars that are fitted with ADAS and safety devices must be able to recognize not only other connected vehicles but also – and perhaps more importantly – other road users that are not connected. People can look ahead for kilometres and react to obstacles that are away.

Human drivers will spot a tow truck or a van from a road assistance service with warning lights long before they are near them and can react in a proper way by shifting one or more lanes and reducing speed. Present cameras, radar and lidar sensors and their software still cannot. This has been illustrated several times by accidents with Tesla’s that did not react to stationary vehicles on the roadside. Also complicated situations with traffic lights, bad or even not existing road markings, pedestrians and cyclists, most of the time giving their own interpretation on traffic rules, provide an environment that automated vehicles cannot deal with.

A very simple example of failing sensors was given by a preliminary test of the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) in 2017, after complaints from FEMA and two Dutch organizations, showed that all the adaptive cruise control systems of the tested cars did not recognize motorcycles that rode on the edge of the lane. We wrote about this in March 2018.

As a result of these tests RDW and FEMA agreed to work together to have a mandatory test with motorcycles for these kinds of systems. This resulted in a clause in the (still draft) revision of the UN ECE Regulation 79, in which – among other things – is regulated that cars can in future have an automatic lane changing assist system. This is the first step in the legislation for automated vehicles. Part of the regulation is also that new devices must be tested with motorcycles.

Connected vehicles

Connected is one of the buzzwords in present and future mobility. What exactly does it mean? There are several ways in which a vehicle can be connected:

IoT – The Internet of Things. This means that a car, or any other device, is connected with the internet with a smartphone, the network of the manufacturer, et cetera. These days, central heating, refrigerators and many other devices can be controlled from a distance by your smartphone or computer.

When you have a car with internet connection, you can see on your smartphone where you have parked it, whether it needs servicing, you can control the heating system, but also: the manufacturer can look with you. Data from your car is sent to the server of the manufacturer. Think of: where you are (and have been), how fast you drive and brake, the mechanical condition of your car, your music choice, even the content of your smartphone (addresses, agenda, the lot) when it is connected by Bluetooth with the car can, and often will be, downloaded. Manufacturers consider this as valuable information which they can use and sell to third parties. This already happens. In general, this information is not used for road safety purposes.

V2V – Vehicle to vehicle. There are several ways to connect a vehicle to other vehicles and exchange information on the kind of vehicle, position, direction, speed, braking, obstacles, road condition, priority vehicles announce their presence, et cetera. In principle, the vehicle is permanently sending this information. This information is used for road safety purposes. Several applications of the Connected Motorcycle Consortium are based on V2V connection.

V2X – Vehicle to everything. The vehicle sends permanently information to sender/receivers along the road and to other vehicles. Again, on kind of vehicle, position, direction, speed, braking, obstacles, road condition, et cetera.

It also receives information from and about the infrastructure, traffic lights, obstacles and from other road users about the same things it sends information. This is information that is used for road safety and again several applications of the Connected Motorcycle Consortium are based on V2X connection.

Also, eCall can be seen as V2X technology, but here the connection only is established in case of an accident.In the context if the article, connected means V2V and V2X connection.

Only a few years ago, between 2015 and 2018, CEOs of car manufacturers, politicians and the like were convinced that the real automated car (level 5 on the SAE scale, which is the highest level) were imminent and the first automated vehicles could be expected on the public roads as soon as 2020.

In 2016 the European Ministers of Transport signed the Declaration of Amsterdam that was supposed to make it possible to use automated vehicles on public roads and cross-borders. The declaration stated that “Cooperative, connected and automated mobility is becoming a reality for EU citizens.” In these years, senior officials from research and development departments of the same manufacturing companies already told that we should not reckon with two or three years, but with two or three decades. This has never been picked up by the press.

Also, around that time, I attended a presentation by the Dutch new mobility professor Carlo van de Weijer. He showed a video clip of a typical street in Amsterdam. Pedestrians, cyclists, cars, a tram all swarmed on the street, everybody with his own interpretation of the traffic rules.

Van de Weijer concluded that in a situation like this “the Google (automated) car would park itself within three minutes and start crying.” Now we can see that projects to develop automated vehicles have been stopped, goals were adjusted, budgets are limited. Predictions are adjusted to ten to thirty years.

One can even wonder if automated cars for consumers will ever exist. They will probably be very expensive. Not only to purchase them, but also in taxes, maintenance and repair costs. With the growing number of sensors maintenance and repair will be much more expensive in future than we are used to. This also has an effect on the insurance fees.

Motorcycles do not need to be fitted with the above-mentioned safety devices yet, and several of them would probably do more harm than good. Nevertheless, suppliers like Bosch and Continental are developing ARAS (Advanced Rider Assistance Devices) especially for motorcycles.

We have written about that extensively in December 2019, so I will not go into much detail about that. You can read the article here. The devices of Bosh and Continental take the specific dynamics of motorcycles into account and, although their function is sometimes the same as with cars, they work differently.

More important is the work of the Connected Motorcycle Consortium (CMC). In this BMW, Honda, KTM and Yamaha, together with some other partners, work together on a connection of motorcycles with other vehicles in a harmonized way. The consortium has recently published its first Basis Specification. They develop new applications and set standards to let motorcycles, cars and other road users communicate which each other.

The CMC has already developed sixteen different applications, especially for motorcycles. Examples of these applications are Motorcycle Approach Warning (MAW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Left Turn Assist (LTA), Approaching Emergency Vehicle Warning (AEVW) and Broken-Down Vehicle Warning (BDVW). A complete overview you can find here.

The motorcycle manufacturers, united in the European Motorcycle Industry Association ACEM have agreed in 2014 that in 2020 every member would have at least one model equipped with C-ITS (Connected Intelligent Transport Systems) technology. That goal has been achieved.

Motorcycles may not be automated, but soon will be connected, and as we just saw on some occasions already are. This is the first step towards a situation where motorcycles will be part of an environment of automated and connected vehicles.

More of this is to be expected from projects likes SAFE-UP, where sixteen large participants will try to enhance road safety for all road users, inclusive vulnerable road users (VRUs) as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists by proactively designing and analyzing safety-critical scenarios in a highly automated and mixed traffic environment by integrating traffic accident data and future traffic conditions. By the way, although FEMA is not a participant in these projects, we are involved in them.

‘The self-steering motorcycles we see on YouTube were developed for research purposes and not as predecessors for real automated motorcycles.’
Will motorcycles indeed not be automated as I wrote above? Well, you might have seen the videos of a self-steering BMW without a rider, a slow-moving Honda following a person or the racing Yamaha that tried to beat Valentino Rossi.

Yes, these are examples of self-steering motorcycles. And at the same time, they are not. They just followed a set and learned course on a track. The BMW copied exactly the movements of the rider, the Honda just followed its ‘master’ and the Yamaha was programmed to ride the racing track. None of them sought their own way or made decisions concerning other road users. They were developed for research purposes and not as predecessors for real automated motorcycles.

I doubt if there will ever be a market for automated motorcycles as we know them. Still, I foresee a growing need for small L-category vehicles for transport of people and goods. Costs like parking fees and tolls will rise when city councils discourage the use of cars in urban areas. We can already see the focus on public transport, cycling and walking when it comes to urban transport plans and policies. Action groups and in their wake city councils and politicians on all levels ask for a transition from the space that is now used by moving and parked cars to other users, for example cyclists, pedestrians and playing children. It is to be expected that in future there will be just no room anymore for private cars in the cities.

We can also see a growing resistance to delivery vans for reasons of road safety and pollution. One can also question the efficiency and economic feasibility of big, heavy busses in the cities. The more when they are nearly empty outside rush hours, which is about 90% of the time.

The answer to all the questions could well be small and light automated vehicles on two, three or four wheels for goods, personal and public transport. In several places in the world pilots are already running and in Wuhan (China) small, automated shuttles are already used to deliver medical supplies, using public roads and negotiating with traffic. Also, outside the cities a growing need for small vehicles is to be expected.

Cars will be more expensive in the future. Already many manufacturers like Volkswagen, Citroen, Opel (Vauxhall) have stopped building small A-class cars or have announced that the present models will not be succeeded. The reason is that it is becoming too expensive to develop and build cars like this and the margins are just too little.

In some cases, they are replaced by electric models, but these are in general too expensive for the consumer. For travel from transport hubs like bus- and train stations to home or another destination, I foresee a shift from cars to, again, small electric L-category vehicles. That could be motorcycles, but also three- or four-wheeled private vehicles or automated shuttles. Of course, automated or not, all these vehicles will be equipped with safety applications as described above.

To conclude: there will be a future for motorcycles in a world with automated and connected vehicles. The future is to light and small vehicles, both in urban and rural areas. They can be automated too, although this is not to be expected for two-wheelers. However, the keyword here is connection. To ride safely in an environment with automated and connected vehicles, motorcycles must and will be connected too.

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

How do you prefer you vintage Harley motorcycle? Do you like them restored to their former shine, or would you rather go for some modifications to make them unique, but somehow spoil them in the process? Well, if you’re a collector, there’s only one possible answer to that.

At the end of April, auction house Mecum will be holding its massive, annual motorcycle auction in Las Vegas. This year, a prominent presence on the auction block is that of an impressive Harley-Davidson collection belonging to a single, Tacoma, Washington resident museum owner by the name of J.C. Burgin.

The incredibly well preserved 1947 Harley-Davidson FL Knucklehead we have here is part of the collection. It entered Burgin’s possession all the way in 1983, and then underwent a careful restoration process that left the two-wheeler looking like it does now.

Wrapped in blue on the body parts that support paint, the two-wheeler retains the chrome shine the bike maker envisioned it for the Knucklehead engine. Most of the FL’s original hardware was preserved, from the front fender lamp to the horn cover. There’s even a red ball tank emblem in there for effect.

The motorcycle is powered by the same powertrain back when it was made, meaning a 74ci unit running a four-speed transmission.

The fact that this bike comes from 1947 might boost its price a bit in the upcoming auction. That was the last year of production for the Knucklehead, as starting 1948, the era of the Panhead began. For reference, back in its day, a motorcycle such as this sold new for around $600 – that would be roughly $7,000 adjusted for inflation.

Now, of course, they sell for a hell of a lot more on the collector’s market. For this particular 1947 Harley-Davidson FL Knucklehead, Mecum gives no estimate as to how much it is expected to fetch.

Well, as you know the second impeachment effort failed.
And the Faux-Trump that has been filling-in for the real
Donald Trump here on Bikernet, assuming there actually is a real Donald Trump, is in full revved-engine mode to BE Donald Trump until such time as the Social Media
Emperors allow the real Donald Trump back onto their
sacred and holy venues. So, sit back, relax, and fall asleep while Fake Donald Trump takes a victory lap, courtesy of J.J. Solari.

“Hey ‘America Was Great Again For 4 Years At Least Until the Fake Election That Put Biden Into Office,’ – how ya doin’??

How about that second impeachment failure, uh?
You know what THAT means, right?….. a whole new flu
‘pandemic.’ That’s right, the Second Impeachment-Failure=flu.

Think they would actually do that flu shit twice though?
Yeah, I think they would. They gut a pretty limited
playbook. But you can never overestimate Biden’s
commitment to destruction. He could order a nuclear strike on Akron Ohio to keep me from running for office again.

Because you KNOW I’m gonna run for office again. In
FACT, I might not even have to run for office again to be
President for a second term. In FACT, I basically AM
President for a second term. This second impeachment
failure kind of proves it. I mean they had a lock on this
tighter than the lock that’s on Britney Spears’ hard earned cash.

You think it’s easy to sing a song with a python
coiled around your neck? You should be entitled to the
money you earned from doing that.

Speakin’ o’ people who play with long bendy circular
things, how about that Kamala-toe Harris, uh? You notice
she’s kinda stayin’ in the backround, no? Yep, she’s just
sittin’ quietly, crossin’ and uncrossin her legs for the
cameras and lookin’ at her watch and countin’ the minutes. And then….President Harris.

What’s that, buddy?….you say she’s kneeling quietly, not
sitting quietly? I like how you think, where you from?

None of my fuckin’ business? HAHAHA now I REALLY like you. Giving me shit to my face. Well, you’re no White House Staffer, I can see that! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I love this crowd.

You know pretty much that the job of President is a makebelieve, no-such-thing job if Kamala “Don’t lecture me,” Harris has it. Well, she doesn’t have it yet. But she knows Joe ‘I’LL HAVE ANOTHER, BARKEEP!!!’ Biden is starin’ more and more into the empty future and noticing that he’s not in it.

I’m typin’ this on Valentine’s Day, speaking o’ Joe Biden:
He’s likely out on the lawn with a passel o’ 8 year old girls, standing behind them one at a time and gently caressing their locks…..putting his face against the back of their skulls and closing his eyes in happy delirium.

Wait till Easter Sunday. Kids lookin’ for eggs in Joe Biden’s yard. Wait till Halloween: kids comin’ to Joe Biden’s door. Wait till Christmas: kids sittin’ on Joe Biden’s lap. Yeah, if you’re Joe Biden you gotta be lovin’ the Presidency right now.

Have you noticed you’ll look a goddamn fucking long time, before you come across a photo or even a ‘report from an expert’ about me bein’ within a thousand yards of a fucking kid. I mean, I try and stay away from my OWN kids. ‘Cept for, ya know, the one with the honkers.

Meanwhile every other political hack in American history since the invention of the camera is holding other peoples’ babies, sitting in a classroom with first graders telling them what a warrior he is for road-construction and equal housing. Me?….

I’m at a beauty contest somewhere. That I own. With hot adult females. Meanwhile everyone else in office – at least the men – are holding small stray humans in their arms……..speakin’ o which, what the FUCK is it with ‘The Royal Family.’ Those heirs to the throne are ALWAYS in some photo bending down and smiling at some rickets-boned or diseaseinfected fly-covered herd of kids they would never have over to the house without steam-cleaning them for an hour with kerosene. They’re bending down and shaking hands with or smiling enthusiastically at some bewildered cave-dwelling
shithole-doomed youngster who’s never seen
ANYTHING white, forget about white PEOPLE before.

You ever see me doing that fucking shit? Jesus soap
on a rope Christ. I don’t think so. You think Biden’s ever gonna be involved in a scandal with a porn star? At least an ADULT porn star? No. You’ll wait for Kamala Harris to have abrasion-free knees before that day arrives.

I will say though, in fairness to Old ‘then you ain’t Black’
Joe, he will go creep-on-one with adults as readily as with
kids when it comes to hair-sniffin’. What do you suppose
he’s hoping to pick-up-the-scent-of when he does that?
Soap? Is he addicted to the smell of shampoo and hair
conditioner? I mean….it’s NOT as though he tries to do
this on the sneak. No, not at all. He could be on stage at
the Superbowl singing about life at The Village and he’d
stop and leave the platform and go out into the socially
distanced stands and slowly bend and close his eyes and
touch his rosacea-ed nose against the tresses of some 40-or-younger audience member with a vagina and not care who knows it.

How long a wait do you think you will have before a
‘reporter’ asks ‘Hey, Joe, what’s with the sniffing kids hair?’

That reporter will be called a lot more than a dog faced
pony soldier. Can you imagine if I sniffed little girls’ hair?
Chuck Schumer wouldn’t just be throwing the word
‘infamy’ around. He’d be throwin’ the word deviate prepubescent sexual predator around.

Speakin’ o’ Droopy-Dog Schumer, did you hear that
fucker? His Impeachment 2 fucking TANKED….and he’s
calling it as akin to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
He used the word ‘infamy.’ You use the word infamy and
you’re in office….. you’re trying to be FDR-level pompous
and majestic and gassy. The word infamy in politics is
basically an off-limits word unless you’re a total piece of
worthless shit – like, say, Schumer – and you have no
shame or class or sense….or you’re referencing Pearl
Harbor.

But let’s leave World War Two even out of it, ok?……he’s
calling losing a vote……infamy? He lost a vote! That’s
infamy? Hey, but, hey, he calls breaking and entering
treason, insurrection, and a coup. And so does the press.
They gut their own dictionary. So, I guess it makes sense
that you would call not being able to impeach someone
who isn’t in office ‘infamy.’

He’s actually as stupid as he is ugly. And I do mean ugly. He is NOT a good-lookin’ guy. Oh. You’re saying that’s mean, me calling him ugly. Oh. Ok: I’ll call him a rakishly debonaire Burt Lancaster whopper of a good-lookin’ rockstar of a hunk. How’s that?

Speakin’ o’ vocabulary, can you imagine me ever saying
the word infamy? Under any circumstances? I mean it was stupid even when Roosevelt said it: he’s responding to a sneak attack on America with name calling. I guess he was trying to hurt the Japs’ feelings. Still, it’s more than Bush said when the Muslims attacked the mainland with our own planes!!! Even the Japs didn’t think o’ that one.

He didn’t call it a day of infamy. He didn’t call it anything.
Oh, wait: he called it terror. Terror attacked us. And he
declared war on it. He declared war upon an emotion. At
least FDR declared war on Japan. Not on ‘infamy.’ ‘We will attack infamy and drive it from our shores!!’

He didn’t say that. Meanwhile Goober declares war on
terror. But hey, Nixon declared a war on drugs. One of
those other blowhard Presidents declared war on poverty.

War on hunger. War on inequity. No one fights human
enemies anymore. We fight against vocabulary words.
Remember when the hippies said everything is
everything? You’re maybe-elected bureaucrat
representative was apparently listening!
HAHAHAHAHAHA

Speakin’ o’ crowds, you see that Crowd of Seven alleged
Republicans who voted for my impeachment in this Get-
Trump Circus Number 2? Mitt-rhymes-with-shit was right
in there with ’em. Boy, he’s a piece o’ work, ain’t ‘e? I bet
even Satan inches back outa the way when Romney
enters the room. And not outa fear. Outa nausea.
Whew. He could foul a nest of diseased ferrets.
Then six other bilious Nothings traipsed-along after him:
Ben Sasse rhymes-with-ass. Lookit that Nebraskan fuck.
All ‘let’s go to work, boys!’ in his fucking rolled up sleeves
like he could actually lift anything without his little tiny balls shooting out his ears like bb’s. And his fucking khakis. ‘It’s nose to the grindstone with me, America! Let’s get busy.’

So he gets busy trying to get rid of someone who actually
DOES work. And who wears a suit doing it. Then let’s
see, there’s Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania in his best
David Miscavige pose but with a lot crappier suit. Fucker’s ears are damn near parallel with his teeth. Fucker’s forehead goes all the way back to his shoulder blades.

Then Mitt Romney from Utah. Jesus. Mr ‘Am I just the
darndest most innocent thing or what!!!’ Fucking little
gutless pukepile. Ya know, Mormons have a very
undeserved bad reputation. Except in his case. Let’s see,
who else we gut, oh, yes, holy shit, Miss Butt Ugly herself, Susan Collins from Maine. See?…that’s what cold weather does to ya. It turns women into Alec Guinness.

If I had just given her the shocker just once like she likely dreams of she’da come-around. What’s the shocker? Ask your teenage daughter. She’ll tell ya. Maybe. Who else we gut, oh yeah, Aaron’s kinfolk, Richard Burr, Noath Cah-lie-nah. Lookit that fucker. He LOOKS like he’d fry-up newborns in a skillet and feed them to his dogs as a reward for barking all night and pissing off the neighborhood. Beady-eyed lipless little prick. He looks Sith-ready for the next Star Wars movie when they need a villain. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana. Jesus Kee-riste. That is one doofus-looking dull witted looking mug right there.

I guess Americans figure if you elect someone ugly and stupid-looking enough to office they won’t be smart enough to fuck with ya. Um…..America?…..you don’t need to be smart or good looking to fuck with people. Look at Michelle Obama.

Haha ok, I’m just kidding, you don’t really have to look at
‘er. And last but least, from Alaska, Lisa pisa-shit
Murkowski. Emphasis on the murk. And maybe on the
cow. If she got on the bus you’d get off, right? And by that I mean you’d exit the bus, right? Cause you KNOW she’s gonna start yelling at invisible people at some point.

This is the Magnificent Seven of the Republican Party that voted to have me declared an Enemy of the People
and a Foreign Invader leading hippies in Revenant
costuming on an overthrow of the government. What that
mob did USED to be called breaking and entering before
political-science majors became hack journalists with no
writing or even vocabulary skills. Oh: and we all did learn
one thing from that little fracas: we learned why Congress sends YOU to fight wars rather than do it themselves. Because they’re headin’ the other way, baby! Whew!

Feets don’t fails me now!! That was the fastest any of those assholes moved since taking office.
Anyway, good luck to Biden being the guy that loses family members but somehow wins elections.
Hey, you’ve been great, and let’s admit it, so have I.
Together we can make America great four years from now.

Maybe sooner, the way things are goin’
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
See you at Impeachment 3!!!. The Biden Impeachment, when the evidence surfaces. It’s a no-brainer.

I have had my 2019 Harley-Davidson Street Glide for a little while now and the one thing I wanted to change was the sound of the audio. Since I bought the bike, I had my eye on upgrading the fairing and saddlebag lids with Harley’s flagship Stage II Boom Audio speakers and amps.

  I upgraded the fairing to Stage II recently and just want more. You you can see that article at:

 https://www.bikernet.com/pages/GETTING_A_BOOM_WITH_HARLEY_DAVIDSON_STAGE_ll_AUDIO.aspx 

 Needed? Questionable, but definitely wanted more Boom! A decision that needs to be made is whether you want to go Stage I or Stage II, the system cannot be mixed. Also, if you are planning on doing this yourself, beware Radio EQ MUST be updated by a Harley-Davidson dealer BEFORE operating the audio system. Operating the audio system prior to radio EQ update will IMMEDIATELY damage the speakers. This can be done in advance although I waited until the job was complete. This involves some finesse with cutting tools as both saddlebags need to be modified.

 The speakers in this kit are for use ONLY on specific 2014 and later Harley-Davidson audio systems. See the P&A retail catalog or the Parts and Accessories section of www.harley-davidson.com (English only).

Note: Using these speakers on 2005 or earlier Harley-Davidson audio systems WILL cause permanent damage to those systems.

 First thing to do is remove main fuse.

 Remove seat.

Remove the ECM caddy from the top of the battery.

Disconnect both battery cables, negative battery cable first.

Remove battery.

Remove right side cover.

Remove left side cover.

 

 

Drain and remove gas tank.

 

 

 Remove the windshield by taking the three bolts at top of outer fairing.

 

 

 The remove outer fairing by taking two bolts on the inside of inner fairing on both sides.

 Remove the two bolts securing the electrical caddy under the left side cover.

 

RIGHT SADDLEBAG DRILLING AND CONNECTOR INSTALLATION

Remove all items from the right saddlebag and remove saddlebag.

 

 Remove bolt that retains the handle in the lid.

 Then remove 2 screws in the cloth stop and remove 3 bolts and nut for cable to disconnect lid from lower bag.

Remove the 4 torx bolts in the lid to separate frame from upper lid.

To minimize damage to paint during cutting and drilling. Cover both sides of the area being drilled or cut with masking tape.

Place the saddlebag on a protected surface with mounting (inboard) side facing up.       

Place the template on the saddlebag. Align the grommet and latch fastener openings. Drill the hole at locations and , beneath the remark “S’BAG SPEAKER ONLY”. 

 

 Drill four holes .177 diameter holes for the lower connector flange mounting locations.

 Drill a hole .886 diameter hole for the connector location.

 Verify pilot hole placement with the four-way flanged connector [C36A] (3) on the harness.       

Test-fit the connector. Shape the hole as seen on the template if necessary.   

Four-Way Harness Connector Installation

Remove the metal plate from the four-way bulkhead connector on the saddlebag harness. Insert the connector through the saddlebag hole from the inside.   

Slide the metal plate back onto the connector outside the saddlebag. Secure the connector with four socket head screws from inside the saddlebag. Tighten and torque to 35–40 in-lbs.

 Now for the Left Saddle Bag, remove any items and remove the saddle bag.

Remove left side lid using same procedure as with the right

 Carefully cut the cutout (4) in the template for connector [288A] on the dashed line.

  Drill two pilot holes (5) for the connector flange mounting locations.

 Remove template. Verify size of cutout (4) with the 18-way flanged connector [288A] on the saddlebag harness (see Figure 12 , Item 4) from the kit.        

Cut the cutout for connector [288A] into the saddlebag wall.  

Drill two holes at the connector flange mounting pilot hole locations.

Length/Dimension/Distance: 7.25 mm (½ in)

 

Insert the pin side 18-way bulkhead connector (3) from the saddlebag harness through the connector cutout (6) from the inside. Secure the connector from outside the saddlebag with two socket head screws (4) and washers (5). Tighten.

Torque: 4–4.5 N·m (35–40 in-lbs) M5 hex socket head screw.

 

 Snap the harness cover over the 18-way connector. Secure with a cable strap. The harness routes inside the saddlebag after the amplifier is mounted.

Amplifier Bracket Installation

Clean the inside rear and bottom surfaces of the saddlebag with a 50-50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water.

Verify that all four tape strips are contacting the saddlebag.

Remove the four pieces of protective backing from the amplifier bracket tape strips. Position the bracket as shown.  

 [photo 104247] 

 Install the amplifier pin studs in the amplifier. Tighten.

Torque: 9.4–12.2 N·m (7–9 ft-lbs)

 

 Install the grommets  

Amplifier Installation

Position the amplifier with the grommets in the holes in the bottom of the amplifier bracket. Slide the top into the bracket. Install the hex socket button head screws. Tighten and torque to 7–9 ft-lbs.

 

Plug in connector of the saddlebag harness to the top of the amplifier. Route the saddlebag side harness inside the left saddlebag. Clean the inside bottom and side surfaces of the saddlebag along the harness path with a 50-50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. Secure with cable straps and bases as shown. 

 

 Route the vehicle-side amplifier harness in the saddlebag mounting area, beginning the vehicle. Route the harness around the rear wheel sprocket, following the saddlebag support rail.

Route the harness behind and underneath the frame, into the under seat battery area.

Use cable straps to tie the harness loosely to the saddlebag support. Use the large hole near the saddlebag rear attachment point or one of the cable strap slots along the bottom of the support.

Temporarily install the left saddlebag into the support assembly. When sufficient clearance is confirmed, tighten the cable straps. Remove the saddlebag.

Confirm that the vehicle-side harness connectors reach the saddlebag connectors.

Confirm that the amplifier harness connectors and harness routing are clear of all moving parts.

Confirm that no contact is made at full extension and compression of the shock absorber.

Continue routing the harness forward on the vehicle.

 

 Locate the black, four-way Molex connector [296A] near the back of the under-seat area. FLHX/FLTRX models: On a jumper harness coming from the fairing. FLHTCU/FLHTK models: On an adapter harness with two 16-way ([162C] and [162D]) and two four-way ([296A] and (297B]) connectors. With ONLY ONE Stage II amplifier installed in the rear: Remove the plug in the [296A] connector. Connect the amplifier harness. With TWO or more Stage II amplifiers installed in the rear: Plug the audio input harness (15) from this kit into connector halves [296A] and (297B] on the adapter harness. Plug amplifier harness connector [296A] into the audio input harness.

Locate the 2-way Delphi CAN connector [319B] (1) under the right side cover.

The cap is a terminating resistor pack secured to the electrical caddy. Remove connector [319B] from the resistor pack.

Connect [319A] (See Figure 18 item 9) from the harness to [319B] of the vehicle.

If this is the only (rear) amplifier connection in this installation, connect the [319B] side of the harness back into the terminating resistor pack from step “B” above. If multiple rear amplifiers are used, daisy chain [319B] from this harness to [319A] of the next amplifier harness. Always verify that the remaining connector [319B] is connected to the terminating resistor of the vehicle.

Locate connector 299 on the vehicle under the inner faring. This connector may already be connected to a faring amplifier.

  

 Install 69200921 “Y” to vehicle side 299, with one end to the faring amplifier harness.

Install the 69201545 jumper (If a 69201545 jumper has already been installed on vehicle skip ahead to “e”. Do not install more than one 69201545 jumper.)

Route the 69201545 jumper though the inner faring and into the wire trough following the Faring harness routing.

Locate the end of the 69201545 jumper under the RH side cover near the [319] connectors. If a 69201545 is present from a prior install use a 6920921 “Y” under the RH side cover to connect [299].

Route the battery terminal branch to the battery terminals, but DO NOT connect the battery cables now.

 

Route the longer harness branch (with six-way socket connector [36B]) to the right side of the vehicle. Use cable straps to tie the harness loosely to the saddlebag support. Use the large hole near the saddlebag rear attachment point or one of the cable strap slots along the bottom of the support.

 Temporarily install the right saddlebag into the support assembly. When sufficient clearance is confirmed, tighten the cable straps. Remove the saddlebag.

Confirm that the vehicle-side harness connector [36B] reaches saddlebag connector [36A], installed earlier.

Confirm that the amplifier harness connector and harness routing are clear of all moving parts.

Confirm that no contact is made at full extension and compression of the shock absorber.

 Installing speakers in the lids.

  

 Position the smaller tweeter speaker is toward the rear of the saddlebag as shown.

 Secure the speaker with the four long screws. Alternately tighten screws. Tighten and torque to 12–15 in-lbs.

Place rubber washers into the grille mount well.

Place the speaker grille into position over the speaker face.

Secure with the four short screws (3). Alternately tighten the screws. Tighten and torque to 12–15 in-lbs.

Repeat steps for the opposite-side saddlebag cover.

 Install the grommet from the original cover in the lever hole.

 

 Install the lever bolt into the latch assembly.

 Position the latch assembly and verify the hex head bolt stayed in position. Lift the latch assembly and position the speaker end under the locating tab.

 To install the latch assembly, pull the latch assembly towards the center of the cover to clear the cover locating tabs.

 Install three of the original four latch assembly screws. Tighten and torque to 19–29 in-lbs.

 Hold faceplate in place and install three screws. Tighten and torque to 45–55 in-lbs.

 

 Please note: Ambient temperature should be at least 61 °F for proper adhesion of the gasket to the saddlebag cover.

 This step is essential to prevent water intrusion.

 Clean the area with a mixture of 50-70 percent isopropyl alcohol and 30-50 percent distilled water. Remove the protective seal from foam gasket and install the foam gasket in orientation shown by applying pressure to the adhesive tape.

 Install the handle. Tighten and torque to 45–55 in-lbs.

Repeat for the other saddle bag lid.

 

Connect both two-way audio connectors from the amplifier harness to the mid-range/tweeter connection and the woofer connection on the underside of the speaker. The connectors are unique and only fit one way.

Add cable straps and wire retainers from the Amplifier Installation Kit to retain the harness inside the saddlebag as needed.

 To prevent possible damage to the sound system, verify that the ignition switch is OFF before attaching the battery cables.

 Connect the battery terminal branch to the battery terminals (red positive cable first).

 Apply a light coat of petroleum jelly or corrosion retardant material to battery terminals.  

 Install the ECM caddy per the service manual. 

 Install gas tank.

If upgrade to radio is already done install seat and fairing and windshield. In my case I did not, so off the dealer to get upgrade to radio. DO NOT POWER ON RADIO or immediate damage will occur to speakers.

 Install main fuse.     

 I loaded the bike up and took it to Space Coast Harley Davidson, my local dealer. The tech was super knowledgeable with all my questions as usual and had the bike upgraded in about 30 minutes.

I am impressed with Harley’s flagship speaker and amp system. The bike has been wet, been almost frozen, baked in the sun and played hard every time I am out which is quite a bit. The system could have a little more bass, but the audio is outstanding in clarity.

 Boom! Audio Stage II Saddlebag Speaker Kit – 76000954 | Harley-Davidson USA (harley-davidson.com)

 

Boom! Audio Stage II Amplifier – 76000277B | Harley-Davidson USA (harley-davidson.com)

 

Boom! Audio Stage II Saddlebag Speaker Installation Kit – 76000745 | Harley-Davidson USA (harley-davidson.com)

 

Color-Matched Saddlebag Speaker Lid – 90200827DH | Harley-Davidson USA (harley-davidson.com)

 

Color-Matched Saddlebag Speaker Lid – 90200826DH | Harley-Davidson USA (harley-davidson.com)

 –-Misled

The partnership between the brands METZELER and Indian Motorcycle is strengthened: several new Indian Motorcycle models equipped with tires of the blue elephant brand

Along with the Indian Challenger, METZELER CRUISETEC™ will be original equipment tires of the Indian Roadmaster, Chieftain, Springfield and Vintage models. METZELER SPORTEC™ M9 RR will now be original equipment on the brand new Indian FTR

ROME, Ga. 15th February 2021 – The technical partnership between the brands METZELER and Indian Motorcycle forges ahead since the first collaboration between the German-born tire brand and the legendary US motorcycle manufacturer happened in 2019. METZELER brand was chosen as the development partner and exclusive supplier for the powerful touring model, the 2020 Indian Challenger. It was an extremely successful project, thanks to the joint work between two brands that share the same philosophies of enhancing their company heritage and at the same time aiming for the highest level of performance, in compliance with the most challenging quality standards.

From that moment, the technical collaboration between the two historic brands has been further strengthened and to date it has been extended to other important models of the American manufacturer. In fact from 2021, in addition to the Indian Challenger, METZELER tires will exclusively equip the brand new Indian FTR, which was recently unveiled to fans all over the world, and other iconic models from America’s first motorcycle company, such as the Indian Roadmaster, Chieftain, Springfield and Vintage.

For the Indian FTR, including the FTR S and FTR R Carbon versions, METZELER SPORTEC™ M9 RR tires were selected as original equipment, in 120/70 ZR 17 front and 180/55 ZR 17 rear sizes. Pulling inspiration from its American Flat Track race bike, the FTR750, the new 2022 FTR is an exciting motorcycle that combines style and performance, ideal for both weekend trips and daily use. The FTR offers incredible power, and at the same time, thanks in part to the agility conferred by the original equipment SPORTEC™ M9 RR tires, extraordinary handling. The powerful 1203cc, 120hp, 117.9Nm torque V-Twin engine precisely manages power delivery, which is safely discharged to the ground via SPORTEC™ M9 RR tires.

SPORTEC™ M9 RR combines in the best way the versatility typical of everyday use with the brand’s experience in Road Racing competitions, exploiting the latest technological advances in the German brand’s research and development field. SPORTEC™ M9 RR was designed for motorcyclists, primarily owners of supersport and naked machines, with a sporty riding style and who use their bikes almost every day, from the urban jungle to the winding roads out of town. Motorcyclists looking for riding pleasure and sporty performance even in the wet need a sport tire that provides precise and safe feedback while enjoying their bike’s performance at full capacity.

METZELER CRUISETEC™ has been selected as the original equipment tire for several models within Indian Motorcycle’s cruising and touring portfolio, including the Challenger, Roadmaster, Chieftain, Springfield and Vintage models, also in the Limited and Dark Horse versions.

METZELER CRUISETEC™ is designed to offer motorcyclists with power cruisers, custom and touring bikes, a tire that is more performance oriented than others in the segment to date. CRUISETEC™ has been developed to take advantage of the full performance potential of these heavyweight and powerful motorcycles thanks to the high level of grip even in wet conditions, revolutionary handling, and the structural characteristics oriented towards riding pleasure thanks to stability and precision.

Hey,

Just on the off chance she wasn’t around for the big day, Sam sent me some warm reminders of the magnificent day just past.

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,^[1] is celebrated annually on February 14.^[2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.^[3]

 

Enjoy!

–Sam and Bandit

Hey,

I don’t know how I feel about this announcement. My first Harley was a new 1969 XLCH Sportster. Sportsters are the longest running model, 64 years, and basically the new Indian Chief is a knockoff of the classic Sportster design.

I made a suggestion to the Harley boss that they devote a model to the working man who wants to work on his bike. They could design the bike after early Harleys. Make them easy to work on and modify and then design a line of custom parts for that model.

The first Sportster was built in 1957, after the K Model set the chassis design stage. It’s one of the longest running production models on the planet with over 5,000 variations. It’s still a very sharp looking motorcycle and deserves to stay in the mix.

–Bandit