tech

Pandemic Project Panhead: Part 1

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The Basket Case from Hell By Bandit with photos by Wrench It all started on a dark, foggy harbor day in 2018 when the Pandemic basket case arrived at the Bikernet Intergalactic World Headquarters in Wilmington, Califa. It didn’t have the rights to the Pandemic title just yet, but it was coming… READ THE FULL TECH ARTICLE ON BIKERNET – CLICK HERE JOIN THE CANTINA – SUBSCRIBE TODAY https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Kawasaki’s Open-Road Ready 2020 Ninja 1000SX Ups The Comfort, Tech And Power

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by Bill Roberson from https://www.forbes.com It’s raining and I’m sheltering in place with my family, which sadly means no motorcycle riding as spring weather imminently arrives in the Northwest. Thankfully, Kawasaki just broke the boredom by holding a model reveal online, as is the sudden new norm, and the new bike is the 2020 Ninja 1000SX. It looks to be another fine machine from the always capable Kawasaki. But after the presentation, I found myself wandering down memory lane (and through digitized photos) to the first and only Ninja I personally owned. In the early 1990’s, I happened across a pristine first-gen Top Gun era 1986 GPz 900 Ninja in bone-stock, unblemished like-new condition (below). Resplendent in original red, white and blue livery, it was by that time somewhat of a performance relic, but I bought it anyway because, well, I had always wanted one and the price was right. Compared to the back-road-strafing Suzuki GSX-R 750 I was riding at the time, it was heavy, a bit wobbly when pressed in the curves, and big. But still, it was just so cool. It still is. One weekend, a riding buddy and I saddled up our respective bikes with some soft bags and headed out to parts unknown in the wide-open (and very lightly patrolled) reaches of eastern Oregon. Midway into a long leg of the trip, my cohort was complaining about the uncomfortable riding position of his mount and tried everything from using the rear pegs to sitting on towels to soothe the pain. But I had made an unexpected discovery: That big, heavy GPz Ninja was a near-perfect sport-touring machine, with a supple yet sporty suspension, a comfortable seat, a near-perfect bar-seat-peg triangle (for myself at least), and a willing, powerful engine. That was the first of many

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The Cure Bikernet Weekly News for March 26, 2020

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We Can Party Once More, Hopefully We will continue to party until the end, whether they like it or not. 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. Most recently Quick Throttle Magazine came on board. CLICK HERE TO READ THE WEEKLY NEWS Join the Cantina for more tech, news, updates, reviews, views and simple good old fun. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx Support Bikernet.com – SUBSCRIBE NOW

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Funky Panhead Part 5

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New front wheel and disc brake With the help of Paughco and Black Bike Wheels Okay, so the classic 19-inch spoked wheel rolled in from Black Bike Wheels, in Van Nuys. They have grown to build spoked wheels for every make and model in virtually every size. Too cool. If you need a spoked wheel give them a call and speak to Elliot or Eric. Tell them Bikernet sent you. CLICK HERE TO READ THE TECH ARTICLE

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Screamin’ Eagle Pro Street Tuner and Automatic Tuning Model

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Tuning Done The Right Way by Dale Your average biker that has a Harley usually adds some customization to the bike not leaving it stock very long. And if they are a gear head, usually the first thing they do is take off the stock exhaust and upgrade to something that is louder and throatier. With fuel injection you can make some minor changes to the exhaust or air cleaner but not both at the same time without the need for re-tuning the motorcycle. There are plenty of aftermarket solutions for this but if you’re like me riding a new motorcycle you will void your warranty if you do. CLICK HERE TO READ THIS TECH ARTICLE

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Bikernet and Bandit’s Cantina Programs for 2020

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  The Bikernet family keeps changing to keep pace with shifting technologies. We moved all of Bikernet’s impressive library and 24 years of archived editorial content into Bandit’s Cantina, Bikernet’s subscription-supported section. We focused on the Bikernet Blog as the Free active section and made sure the Bikernet Weekly News is still available for Free. We are one of the few sites on the planet to afford readers comfortable content without being surrounded by multitudes of ads and pop-ups. Our readers can stay abreast of all the action on Bikernet by joining the Cantina for as little as $24 yearly or $39 for two years. They will also receive a special package containing an assortment of Bikernet goodies, a signed K. Randall Ball book and bling. On the business side, we continue to build great content featuring the Weekly News, plus a variety of features, tech articles, while keeping a constant eye on legislative matters. Industry members, if you’d like us to keep supporting your company and promoting your products, events or services with editorials, we will do so for a mere $98 a year. Keep sending your press releases and we will take care of them. For the company that wants to reach all Bikernet readers, our Blog audience and Bandit’s Cantina subscribers 24/7, your ad will be placed on our Blog page, Bikernet home page and your banners will accompany any and all of your company’s content. Just $165 a month. This also means all of your company content is archived on Bikernet for the duration working 24/7 and supported with your banner ads. Quick, join up. Just click and go. CLICK HERE Don’t hesitate to reach out— Keith R. (Bandit) Ball Bandit@bikernet.com (310) 830-0630

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Why A Car Tire On A Motorcycle Is A Bad Idea

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by Justin Hughes from https://www.rideapart.com/ They call it the “dark side” for a reason. A while back, Kate discussed the perils and pitfalls of using a car tire on the back of your motorcycle, a practice known as “the dark side.” A video just came across a Facebook group I’m on demonstrating, clear as day (the daylight you actually see under the tread), why this isn’t good. Where The Rubber Meets The Road: What it comes down to is simple. Bikes lean. Cars don’t. OK, yes, cars do lean a little due to weight transfer and suspension loading and unloading. I autocrossed for years—I get it. In the car world, though, we fight against this lean as much as we can with stiffer springs and sway bars. We’ll even dial some negative camber into the alignment so that when the car goes around a corner at full tilt, the tire is straight up and down for maximum grip. A car tire has its maximum grip when its full tread width is in contact with the road. Motorcycles, on the other hand, need to lean in order to turn at any speed faster than walking. It’s the fundamental way that bikes work. Motorcycle tires are made to lean. Their profile is round, not square like a car tire. In most cases, you’re either going to drag hard parts while leaning hard or chicken out before you lean hard enough to get onto the tire’s sidewall. Here, though, we have a perfect view of a car tire on the back of a Honda Valkyrie. On the surface this may seem like a good idea for such a big, heavy bike, especially if it does a lot of highway travel where it doesn’t lean much. Here, though, it’s on the Tail of the

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LIVALL Launches and Debuts New Smartphone-Connected Cycling Safety Helmet at 2020 International CES

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With smart lighting, hands-free operation, fall detection, voice navigation, SOS alarm, and more, the breakthrough new LIVALL BH51M Neo helmet is a quantum leap forward in safety and protection for cyclists LAS VEGAS, Jan. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CES (#44513, Hall D, Sands) – LIVALL, a pioneer in smart and safe helmets for cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts, today announced the U.S. product launch and debut of the BH51M Neo to their current line of award-winning smart and safe helmets at the 2020 International CES. In booth #44513, Hall D, Sands LIVALL will demo and showcase their entire line of helmets during the duration of CES from January 7–10, 2020. LIVALL’s helmets combine visibility with connectivity for commuter and leisure cyclists. The company’s newest smartphone-connected helmet specifically addresses the needs of E-Bike, E-scooter and Electric motorcycle riders. LIVALL’s RS1 helmet is a smart helmet specifically designed for skiing, snowboarding, and other outdoor winter activities. Debuting in the U.S. at CES, the new BH51M Neo, is a robust, waterproof, fashionable smart helmet that is simple-to-use, comfortable, and packed full of genuinely useful smart tech, including all the existing features of its multi-award-winning predecessor, the BH51M. “We are delighted to debut this game-changing new connected smart helmet at CES 2020; a show that has evolved to become the perfect fusion of technology and mobility in recent years,” said Bryan Zheng, Founder and CEO, of LIVALL. “In all facets of transportation safety is the preeminent concern, and this is especially true for cyclists who are exposed and constantly in harm’s way. LIVALL aims to create a safe cycling ecosystem; for us, safety is the ultimate luxury. The new BH51M Neo represents a quantum leap forward in safety and protection for the everyday cyclist, and all of us at LIVALL are proud to bring

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Segway tries to be sexy at CES, presents new electric motorcycle

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  by Chris Matyszczyk from https://www.zdnet.com/ Will this be the great victor at CES? Oh, please let that happen. Admit it, you’ve pitied them. The tourists, the mailpersons, the mall cops, the aging techies who now resent the future, they’re all regularly seen on Segways. Some, perhaps in a vain attempt to salvage their image, even wear a crash helmet while they ride the much-derided machine. In recent times, though, Segway was bought by China’s Ninebot. It’s started to develop robots. Well, robotic heads that ride on Segways. Now, though the company wants to make you drool and not because you’re laughing so much. It wants every attendee at CES 2020 to be talking about nothing other than the enormous strides Segway has made toward being alluring. Just before Christmas it released a (possibly) dynamic video of its new Apex. This is an electric motorbike, one that you can ride on a track. Yes, with no one else there but a camera crew. Some may be moved that there is only one wheel at the front and one at the back. More may be excited by the idea that this seems like a bike they’d actually be happy to be seen on, even beyond an enclosed track. It is alleged to be capable of going of going from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and reaching 125 mph. Some bike aficionados may, however, endure qualms. The Apex sounds less like a bike and more like a one-person metalwork factory. Moreover, the rider in the video doesn’t make it look quite like the muscly monsters that occasionally overtake me on the freeway going 100 mph. (I’m going 65, honest.) He doesn’t lean over very far, does he? Perhaps, though, it’s a fine bike for our precarious times, one that melds dynamism and sanctimony

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Tesla among companies sued for complicity over child labor in Congo

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by Matthew Lavietes from https://www.autonews.com NEW YORK — Five of the world’s largest tech companies, including electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc., have been accused of being complicit in the death of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers, in a landmark lawsuit. The legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from Congo was filed on Sunday by International Rights Advocates, a U.S.-based human rights non-profit, against Tesla, Apple Inc., Google parent Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Dell Technologies Inc.. The companies were part of a system of forced labor that the families claimed led to the death and serious injury of their children, it said. It marked the first time the tech industry jointly has faced legal action over the source of its cobalt. Images in the court documents, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, showed children with disfigured or missing limbs. Six of the 14 children in the case were killed in tunnel collapses, and the others suffered life-altering injuries, including paralysis, it said. “These companies — the richest companies in the world, these fancy gadget-making companies — have allowed children to be maimed and killed to get their cheap cobalt,” Terrence Collingsworth, an attorney representing the families, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Cobalt is essential in making rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by the tech industry. More than half of the world’s cobalt is produced in Congo. Global demand for the metal is expected to increase at 7 percent to 13 percent annually over the next decade, according to a 2018 study by the European Commission. The lawsuit said the children, some as young as 6 years old, were forced by their families’ extreme poverty to leave school and work in

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