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SUGAR BEAR TURNS 70 IN SEPTEMBER–I want to wish the man a very Happy Birthday. Sugar Bear has been a very positive influence in our industry for 35 years, hand building some of the wildest bikes on the planet.
Just recently he represented the chopper world during a stint at the new Harley-Davidson museum in Milwaukee.
Here’s the address to his shop. Send him a birthday card, goddamnit:
Sugar Bear’s
12912 S. Normandie Avenue
Gardena, CA 90249
310-850-4818
BIKERNET MEDICAL CENTER HEALTH ALERT– If you receive an email from the Department of Health telling you not to eat canned pork because of swine flu….
Ignore it. It’s just spam.
–from Jim Waggaman
ANOTHER CHAPTER FROM THE UNCLE MONKEY DOCTRINE–There is one in every family. Growing up our parents would always speak in hushed tones whenever their name would come up. The mysterious family member that was a faint memory. We remember their big boisterous voice, their long wild hair, their thundering laugh echoing throughout the house. Their clothes were always worn and comfortable and they had that distinct smell to them.
As we grew up we would wait to hear their names come up. When our “biker” Aunt or Uncle was coming to visit. It seemed to put our parents out. Like it was a huge inconvenience, more so then when Aunt May would come to stay with her bitter hard candies and pinching our rosy cheeks. We would wait anxiously until we would hear the distinct rumble down the way. It was much different then the cars and trucks that would drive by every day. No there was a thunder to the sound. It echoed off of the plain clapboard houses, vibrating through the countryside until it struck us, resonating in our souls.
We would race our Schwinn or BMX bicycles to meet them. They always had a big smile to see us. Slowing to lets us catch up; we would race them back to the house. They would let us win until they finally snapped the throttle, kicking up dust leaving us far behind. They always seemed to be just getting off their bike by the time we skidded our bikes to a stop leaving long black streaks on the hard surface of the road. Clamoring around we would begs for rides, then beg for permission from our parents to go. But we would always have to wait. Wait until the large army bag would be unstrapped from the back of the bike and stored inside. By then all the neighborhood kids, the ones we had been bragging to all week about the coming of our “biker” relative would be there, circling around the massive machine.
Everyone would get a ride. Short hops around the block for the little ones sitting in front straddling the seat and the silky gas tanks, the older ones got to sit on the back for short blasts out on some deserted road before returning to worried parents.
The moments always stuck with us. Sometime forming us into what we are now; bikers, riders, motorcycle enthusiasts. Riding across the countryside, the rebel black sheep of our families for our “different” ways. Some we are close with. Some we haven’t seen in years, scorned by them for our long hair and loud music.
Time has moved on. Now it is our turn to be that mysterious relative who shows up out of the blue with the chrome steed and giving rides to the neighborhood kids. It is up to us to pass the torch to the next generation. Ride on.
–Wayne ?Uncle Monkey?
Legendary Buffalo Chip Provides Ultimate Sturgis Experience during Sturgis Rally Week 2009–Sturgis, S.D. (August 24, 2009) Sturgis Bike Week 2009 has come and gone and the Legendary Buffalo Chip has once again proven itself as the best party anywhere. The epicenter of this year’s rally and all of its high-octane revelry provided bike enthusiasts from across the country the ultimate Sturgis experience. By bikers and for bikers, the Legendary Buffalo Chip afforded its visitors an array of entertainment, art, vendors, food, amenities and countless memories.
The entertainment at this year’s rally was unparalleled. Performances that graced the Chip’s four entertainment stages included; George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Toby Keith, Lita Ford, Billy Squier, counter-culture comedians Cheech & Chong, Saving Abel, Tesla, Hinder, Buckcherry, RED, The Guess Who and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Aerosmith.
In addition to its live music line-up, the Legendary Buffalo Chip was proud to host Michael Lichter’s 9th Annual Motorcycle as Art exhibit entitled “Rebel Rousers- Motorcycle Icons that Inspired Us to Ride” in its brand new 6,500 square foot “Lichter Exhibition Hall”. The facility designed and constructed as a gallery to showcase art and motorcycle exhibits accommodated Lichter’s annual exhibit and reminded Chip visitors what originally fueled their passion for riding by displaying one of the finest industry collections ever assembled.
The Legendary Buffalo Chip also hosted the second annual Legends Ride. Signaling the official start to the 2009 Sturgis Rally, more than 350 bikes and 500 riders from around the world converged to take part in the ride for charity. The star-studded and scenic 50-mile expedition from the Historic Black Hills town to the grounds of the Legendary Buffalo Chip raised a record-breaking $61,450 to benefit the Black Hills Children’s Home and the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum.
Also part of the Legendary Buffalo Chip’s event schedule was the “Pink and Proud” ride. All riders’ contributions went to support two foundations that work to enhance breast cancer awareness, research and education. In addition to the ride, the “Pink and Proud” festivities included an auction of Keep a Breast plaster casts made and beautified by prominent women in the motorcycle industry.
In conjunction with Sucker Punch Sally’s and American Cycle Magazine, the Legendary Buffalo Chip added a bike giveaway to this year’s rally lineup. Jim Testerman of Kansas City, MO was chosen randomly in a drawing and became the fortunate recipient of a Sucker Punch Sally’s custom “Slim”. He was excited to park the custom Sucker Punch in his garage next to his custom Sportster and commented that he was going to ride the heck out of it.
And you can’t forget burnout night. The Legendary Buffalo Chip held the Second Annual Baker Burnout Drags Competition Friday, August 7. This raw execution of power, precision and skill was held at the main amphitheatre at the Buffalo Chip. To start this year’s Baker Burnout Drag Competition “Kiwi” Mike Tomas rode a 1938 Indian Chief with sidecar that he restored for John Paul DeJoria and lit up the rear tire, showing that even old iron has what it takes to burn rubber.
The Legendary Buffalo Chip has been offering guests the true Sturgis experience for over 29 years. Bikers from across the country converged on the Chip and camped on over 500 acres of campground and enjoyed the best food, vendors and facilities that Sturgis has to offer. Guests at the Chip were able to indulge their appetites and enjoy hearty meals from 9 quality food vendors including; Stage West Caf?, Sturgis Rider Caf? ?, Coffee Crib, Domino’s Pizza, Porky’s BBQ, Buffalo Grill, Taco Bell, Island Dog, Burger Express, Santa Lucia Greek, and Chubby Churros.
A number of premier vendors were found on the grounds of the Legendary Buffalo Chip offering an array of products guaranteed to get visitors’ motors running including Victory Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycles, Sucker Punch Sally’s and Progressive Insurance. Biker guys and gals alike also appreciated the ease and convenience of the amenities found at the Chip. Chipsters were able to dust off the miles and take advantage of the Chip’s personal attendants, flush toilets and plentiful shower and bathroom facilities located throughout the grounds.
They did it again. The Legendary Buffalo Chip offers the ultimate Sturgis experience- from clean bathrooms, to hearty meals to a renowned entertainment lineup and fundraisers for charity- the Chip is Sturgis and there really is no reason to go anywhere else. Visit www.buffalochip.com now and make your reservation for Sturgis 2010 for only $155, before the price increase. That includes all the great bands for free. Take advantage of this great offer and be sure you don’t miss 2010’s Sturgis Rally at the Legendary Buffalo Chip! Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Buffalo Chip will be the place to party! Don’t miss it.
–Ken Conte
OLD 66 CHOPPER SHOW COMING–Old 66 Chopper Show on Historic Route 66 is coming up next year in June. I decided to kick off the promotion for it, by setting up a booth last weekend at the Peoria TT Grand Nationals. The weekend started with the bike event/show downtown.
If you ever get a chance to make it to this event, do it, they start the weekend with a motorcycle parade from the race track, down to the Peoria riverfront. The event features a motorcycle show, swap meet, bike vendors, bands, and beer. The main attraction is on Sunday with the Peoria Grand National TT races. This race is the oldest continuous running dirt track in the world. The race includes one jump to add to the excitement.
I had the Old 66 Chopper Show booth set up by 9 a.m. The motorcycle parade was next, followed by a flood of people with it. All the folks that stopped by my booth were very positive about the Old 66 show, and were a little surprised I was promoting it so early. My goals in doing so is to make this show on Historic Route 66, Illinois?s premiere motorcycle show/event. Many people agreed that the location, Towanda IL, is a perfect place to have a bike show as Towanda is centrally located between four major cities: Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and the Quad Cities.
Around noon, I walked over to the other side of the event, to check out the custom motorcycle competition. I saw some really nice bikes and thought I would share them. I was very impressed with some of the bikes that were entered in the competition and have attached some of the photos. I got to talk to some of the owners of these machines, and they were very informative folks, not just tire kickers.
As the sun fell and night crept in, more folks flooded the vendor booths. Some of the booths around mine included girls in chaps cutting hair, people getting tattoos, Harley Davidson’s being sold, and of course beer and bands. The night was very busy at the booth and the next thing I knew it was time to go home. I was really looking forward to the TT races the next day.
Now Sunday turned out much different than I had anticipated. Some friends of mine all met at my house around 10:00 Sunday morning with the intention of riding together for a while before heading to the races. We had, my buddy, his wife, and Jody’s sister. We each were on our own machines.
We decided to ride Old Peoria Rd to Route 9 and then meet up with more riders. Due to my chopper being hit by the man van and out of commission, I chose to ride my wife’s caf? racer. I had never rode Old Peoria Road before and the road was very curvy and fun to ride. I was hitting the corners and shooting out of them. My buddy was in front, I was second, and the two girls were behind us. We?d been on the road for about 6-7 miles when I looked back and didn’t see the girls.
We slowed down a bit hoping they just needed to catch up, but still no one. We turned around and put the hammer down to find the girls. About a mile or two back we came around a corner and found one of the gals in the ditch and other on the phone. I got off my bike to see how she was, fearing the worst. She was concious and said to me, “just go on to the race, I?ll be fine.?
She said this to me after flipping a Honda 750 3-4 times, according to her sisters eyewitness report upon our return. At this point, making it to the TT races was not our main focus. We got her in an ambulance, I went to fetch a trailer, and we picked up the mangled mess of a bike. Needless to say we did not make it to the race, so I don?t have info on that. She is still in the hospital with a lacerated liver and bruised heart. I hope she has a healthy recovery and gets well soon.
Other than that it was a good weekend to promote the Old 66 Chopper Show, and I look forward to next year?s Peoria TT races.
–Adam
www.old66choppershow.com
www.lastrideleather.com
THIS IS A FAMILY EVENT OPEN TO EVERYONE!– Norsemen MC to Hold First Annual Swap Meet/Bike Show Benefiting Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Fund to Help Returning Veterans with Brain Trauma and Other Rehabilitation– San Jose, Calif. ? August 26, 2009 ? Norsemen MC, a brotherhood of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts, today announced their first annual swap meet and bike show to raise money and awareness for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on September 12th, 2009 in Morgan Hill, California. In conjunction with Brass Balls Bobber?s (www.winabober.com ?By supporting the Brass Balls Bobbers Military bike giveaway in conjunction with our own event, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund stands to receive more donations,? said the Norsemen. ?We are very excited about this event and charity and look forward to others in the future.? ?Being a veteran myself, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund really resonates with me and my family, said Dar Holdsworth, president of Darwin Motorcycles, manufacture of Brass Balls Bobbers? It is a real generous gesture to have support on the overall charity efforts from the Norsemen MC. These are great bunch of guys.? The event, which is being held at a bull ring in Morgan Hill, California on September 12th, 2009, will feature a swap meet, live music, vendors, a ride in bike show with a cash award for the best bike and best rat bike. Attendees can also look forward to a myriad of vendors, a raffle, food and beverages; all under the shade of the facilities oak trees. The event is open to families and all riders whether they are on a sports bike, metric cruisers, Harley Davidsons or anything else. ?This is going to be a great event. The Norsemen?s objective is to have a great time entertaining motorcycle riders while raising money for a worthy cause.? For More Information on the event, pick up a copy of Thunder Press or go online to www.norsemenmc.com Note about Fallen Heroes Fund: 100% of contributions raised by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund go towards these programs; all administrative expenses are underwritten by the Fund?s Trustees. Bikernet and Brass Balls Bobbers are working together to support this foundation with donations from Cantina Subscribers. We are raffling off a $30,000 BBBobber in the mix. Click the banner below for more info. 
WILL THE OWNER OF HOT BIKE PLEASE STAND UP–Thanks to bankruptcy and restructuring, JPMorgan Chase essentially ownsReader’s Digest Association, Source Interlink Media (The company publishing Hot Bike, Street Choppers and more), and American MediaInc., making the bank the nation’s largest media company.
If you totaled therevenues of the three companies, they would reach $5.04 billion — more thanHearst and Cond? Nast combined. (Time Inc., previously considered thecountry’s largest media entity, boasted revenues of $4.6 billion in 2008.)Given the state of the economy, it wouldn’t be surprising to see JPMorganadd more properties to its roster. (Could the Hallmark Channel be one ofthem?)… Maybe Bikernet.com?
STREET WALKER/ENVY CYCLES PROJECT BIKE, Terry?s Honda 750 Build, TO BE FEATURED ON BIKERNET.METRIC– Terry of Envy Cycle Creations and Street Walker Exhaust has had this bike laying around for a long time. He has now decided to build a completely one-off build around the motor. There is a lot of interest in these old 750s and Terry is pulling out all the stops to make this a killer ride.
He is going to share the progress with us in the tech section of Bikernet Metric.
Look for the first installment next week with other installments showing up regularly thereafter. This bike is bad ass and should be finished around October. I can?t wait?
–Wacko
COSSACK MEETS FATBOB–Hey, this fellow is about my size, but no way for me. Thought you might find it amusing.
–FATBOB
Roland Sands Promoting Lower Priced Product–Custom builder Roland Sands says his business during the first eight months of the year has been up 35 percent compared to the same time last year, but says business could be better once dealers and consumers realize they needn’t spend thousands of dollars to pick up his unique and quickly expanding line of Roland Sands Design (RSD) products.
“We want consumers to know we have lower price point items and that it’s easy for anyone to get into RSD products,” Sands told Parts Unlimited reps assembled in Madison, Wisc., this week for the distributor’s annual sales meeting. “A lot of people have an idea that our products are very expensive and unobtainable for those who don’t have a lot of money. That’s not true ? we have a lot of stuff that’s affordable and a great way to get people started on the habit of buying our product line. In fact, we have a load of products for under $100, under $200 and under $300.”
Low-priced products Sands plans to increase promotion of include Combat bar ends, reservoir caps, mirror block-offs and crash sliders, the Clarion windscreen, and Streetfighter triple clamps and risers.
Also, for under $200, RSD plans to offer new graphics kits for sportbikes in the next few months. The first batch will be for select Ducati and Triumph models. Kits for the most popular models from Japanese OEMs are currently under development.
Sands says he further intends to “improve the customer and dealer experience” by offering new point-of-purchase displays, coming out with new packaging, working to stay consistent with branding, and increasingly emphasizing marketing via social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter.
“As of now, if anyone who purchases any of our products does a write-up on the product on a blog or a website, and sends us the link, we’ll send them a free t-shirt,” he says.
–from DealerNews
By: Guido Ebert
BANDIT MEETS A BLONDE–Bandit, a handsome dude, walked into a sports bar around 9:58 p.m. He sat down next to a blonde at the bar and stared up at the TV.
The 10 p.m. news was coming on. The news crew was covering the story of a man on the ledge of a large building preparing to jump.
The blonde looked at Bandit and said, “Do you think he’ll jump?”
Bandit said, “You know, I bet he’ll jump.”
The blonde replied, “Well, I bet he won’t.”
Bandit placed a $20 bill on the bar and said, “You’re on!”
Just as the blonde placed her money on the bar, the guy on the ledge did a swan dive off the building, falling to his death.
The blonde was very upset, but willingly handed her $20 to Bandit, saying, “Fair’s fair. Here’s your money.”
Bandit replied, “I can’t take your money. I saw this earlier on the 5 p.m. news, and so I knew he would jump.”
The blonde replied, “I did, too, but didn’t think he’d do it again.”
Bandit took the money.
–from Bruce Snyder
RICK FAIRLESS ON Sturgis 2009: My Ugly Thoughts–This was my 23rd year in a row to attend the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. My first trip was in 1987 and I haven?t missed a year since. When I went in 1987 it was just on a whim. I didn?t know anybody else who was going, I had never been to that part of the country, I didn?t know what to expect, and I didn?t have a hotel room. I just knew I had to go.
It?s hard to explain the Sturgis experience to someone who has never been to the rally. I describe it like this: ?If God created the world to revolve around motorcycles, the Sturgis Rally would be 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.?
This year the attendance seemed pretty good to me. Some say it was down, but I say 400,000 people is plenty! You could move around fairly easily and actually get in and out of restaurants without too much delay. The worst year I attended was the 50th in 1990. The t-shirts said it was un-f**king believable, and it was! You couldn?t go anywhere without waiting forever because there were so many people. It took hours to get across town, and the town ain?t that big!
There were several trends I noticed this year that I haven?t seen in the past. I saw lots of three-wheelers on the roads this year. I guess us baby boomers are getting older. I also saw many young people on all kinds of bikes, and I think that?s awesome. It?s good to see the excitement of our industry span another generation. We need that. I noticed lots and lots of Victory and Big Dog Motorcycles and I?m very glad about that. In my opinion, those are two of the best bikes made, so I was glad to see so many of them roaring through those Black Hills!
This year was different for me because I didn?t work the rally for the first time in almost 10 years. I actually got to have fun at Sturgis, for a change! I spent my time mainly riding and hanging out with my Hamster pals, and I also played a lot of golf! The golf courses up there have some nice hills and varied terrain, unlike the courses here in Dallas (flat and flatter). It was fun for me to be able to ride the countryside, enjoy myself, and just be a spectator for a change. When I work the rally, I don?t have any time for fooling around. I think I like it better on the fooling around side!
Basically, if you?ve never been to the Sturgis Rally, you have no clue what you?re missing. If you dig motorcycles the way me and my 400,000 pals do, ya gotta do Sturgis.
Come in to Strokers Dallas this weekend and take advantage of the TAX FREE WEEKEND SAVINGS! This weekend only, from Friday-Sunday, you will not have to pay sales tax on all* shirts, shoes, belts (with buckles), jackets, ponchos, boots, caps, dresses, leather gloves (full finger), sweathirts and hoodies.
We are open 9am-7pm everyday and we look forward to seeing you here this weekend! *Items must be priced under $100 and must meet state regulations.
9304 Harry Hines
Dallas, TX 75235
www.strokersdallas.com
214-357-0707
S&S Easy Start Cams–Start any engine regardless of displacement or compression ratio with a stock starter. The new Easy Start Cams from S&S Cycle make hard starting obsolete for 1999-up big twins. Available in chain drive and gear drive versions. Don?t get caught ?dead? without them! More Proven Performance from S&S Cycle, Inc., the leader in V-Twin high performance parts since 1958.
Features:
? Start any engine with a stock starter
? Save your starter and battery!
? Reliable ? tested for 10,000 starts and didn?teven run the battery down!
? Automatic ? no buttons to push
THREE MOST POPULAR GRINDS
A bolt-in cam for all RPM ranges.Something for everyone.
S&S set out to develop a new group of bolt in cams for 2007-up big twins. The three design targets were low end torque for touring, peak horsepower and a cam that would offer the best possible combination between torque and horsepower. The 551 emerged as the touring cam and the 583 is a great over all cam. The proven 585 posted the best results for peak horsepower.
Here’s How it Works:
ONE
Each of the two exhaust cam lobes are equipped with a spring loaded compression release lobe on the ?heal? of the cam at the point where the valve would normally be fully closed.
TWO
The lobe holds the exhaust valve open slightly at cranking speed. This releases some of the compression, making the engine much easier to crank.
THREE
Once the engine starts, and rpm increases, the compression release lobe is centrifugally retracted and the engine runs normally, with full compression, and without any loss in performance. This allows a stock starter and battery to start nearly any engine.
Reduces cranking compression ? easier on starting system!
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