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W8LESS PRODUCTS ANNOUNCES COMPOSITE SPORTS BIKE ROTORS THAT EXCEED D.O.T. STANDARDS–Rotors Improve Handling, Acceleration and Reduce Stopping Distance More than 50%
Tacoma, Wash.?July, 2008W8less Products, a manufacturer of composite rotors and brake pads for the motorcycle industry, today announced that its latest full floating brake rotors for sports bikes have exceeded all Department of Transportation?s (D.O.T.) testing criteria. W8less Products is now shipping the sports bike rotors to riders worldwide and beginning conversations with motorcycle manufacturers to have the full floating rotors considered as original equipment.
?Exceeding D.O.T. compliancy allows us to ship the product to sports bike customers worldwide, said Raymond Wheeler, director of sales and marketing. ?In addition, many manufactures can now offer the W8lessrotors on their motorcycles as original equipment drastically improving the braking and handling of their bikes.?
Though there is no requirement to have D.O.T. testing on aftermarket products, W8less Products tests all of its rotors to ensure they are safe both on and off the road. Now dealers and consumers can rest assured that these products will be a perfect fit for their motorcycles.
All D.O.T. standards must be passed before a new production vehicle can be certified as road worthy. Now that W8less Products sports bike rotors have exceeded the D.O.T. standards, they will be able to continue conversations with high profiled motorcycle manufactures and be considered for inclusion on production vehicle lines as original equipment.
The W8less Products rotors, are made of a patent-pending composite material, is upwards of 60% lighter than a cast iron or stainless rotor. The reduction of weight allows for increased acceleration, better handling at high speeds and a drastically reduced breaking distance. Testing has shown that W8less Products rotors stop in less than half the distance of D.O.T. standards with only moderate brake line pressure. These rotors also shed heat quickly, run much cooler and showed no evidence of fading despite numerous high speed stops.
In addition to the added safety, the W8lessrotor will not rust, warp or squeal unlike other rotors on the market. When used with the proprietary brake pads, riders will also see a noticeable increase in the life of their brake pads, providing an immediate return on the riders? investment.
All of W8lessrotors rotors and brake pads are made in the US and are available with a polished full-floating carrier or anodized for a more custom look.
For more information on W8lessrotors cutting edge products, contact them at www.w8lessrotors.com or call them at 831-594-7783
RUBBER SIDE DOWN WITH PHOTOS FROM MICHAEL LICHTER–The Biker Anthology “Rubber Side Down” I Have been featured in is now on sale, It’s got biker poetry from some of the best, Peddlar, Colorado Sky, Sorez The Scribe , Blaze Elliott and myself just to name a few. I am very proud of this publication, as a poetry anthology themed on motorcycles has never been done. In that sense, this book makes literary history.
Four essays are also in the book, along with photograph sections (by famed biker photographer Michael Lichter) RUBBER SIDE DOWN includes, other than the usual biker poet suspects, poems by Allen Ginsberg, Diane Wakoski and Thom Gunn.
The books cover price is $16 but if you advance order through me this week I will let you have one for $15 I need to know how many to order by Friday so hit me up By then or the book goes back up to $16 and you have to wait until August.
–Joshua Griffith
panheadjosh74@hotmail.com>
NEW CUSTOM FROM THE SHOP IN MINNEAPOLIS–Finally I have finished my new shovelhead. I however, was unable to make it to La Crosse, WI for the show down there at S&S’s 50th anniversary. I broke down on the way.
Guess I gotta wait until Sturgis.
–Jon Fox
Fabricator
The Shop
815 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55404
612-333-0223
www.theshopmpls.com
S&S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION REPORT–LA CROSSE, WI (July 3, 2008) S&S Cycle, a 50 year-old American v-twin performance company ( www.sscycle.com ), enjoyed an incredibly successful 50th Anniversary Celebration from June 27-29, 2008. The city of La Crosse played host to approximately 30,000 visitors as riders came in from across the country and around the world to commemorate the occasion.
S&S started out with one goal in mind, the vision of founder George Smith?to make all motorcycles go faster. With that mantra in mind the second and third generations of Smith family have steered the company as the leader in high-performance v-twin components and engines. A strong dealer and distributor network have helped S&S continue to grow and in turn, gave S&S reason to expand in services offered.
The anniversary weekend was planned well over a year ago. S&S president, Brett Smith, asked world-class builders to use 50 limited production anniversary engines to build 50 unique custom bikes and compete for $50,000 in S&S product credit. A rigorous week was spent going over lists of potential builders to finally narrow the hundreds and hundreds down to just 50.
?The idea for this event was to do something very unique, bigger, and more global than anything we?d ever done before. Typically, we work with 5 builders each year, but during our 50th, it made sense to expand to 50 builders?which we did.? Smith went on to say, ?What made the whole 50th Anniversary Celebration so sensational and successful was the support of the builders, the employee volunteers, family and friend volunteers, and the entire community backing the project.? Smith finished by saying, ?Not only was it a success for S&S because of all that support, the entire community benefited, and several local charities including the Oktoberfest Committee, Boys & Girls Club, Children?s Museum, and Riverfront, Inc. were the beneficiaries of over $100,000 in combined charitable fund raising.?
Working closely with the city of La Crosse, S&S staff explained the plan and gained support from the mayor?s office on down. The entire community rallied around the idea of a huge party in La Crosse. From offering motorcycle only parking throughout the majority of the downtown area to closing off 3rd Street to motorcycle traffic only at night, riders would be made very welcome.
Finding a place to accommodate thousands and thousands of riders, display 50 motorcycles and set up an area for vendors to display in a small city like La Crosse could have been difficult. However, centrally located downtown is a huge festival area known as the Oktoberfest grounds. It offered S&S the place to do it all and accommodate the expected crowds.
?All I can say is Wow! The credit for pulling off this event goes to my son Brett and the employees at S&S Cycle?, said George Smith second generation family member and Chairman of the Board. ?Howard Kelly did a masterful job of organizing and coordinating a complicated schedule involving the who’s who of the v-twin motorcycle custom bike builders and aftermarket industry. My thanks to the Village of Viola and the Coulee Region city planners and businesses that worked closely with S&S to make this celebration an overwhelming success. For me, it was a heart-warming and humbling experience to see so many visitors show their appreciation for S&S’s contribution to the motorcycle sport over the last 50 years. I’ll forever be grateful I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of such a fun and exciting business.?
As the week prior to the event unfolded, bikes began shipping in from around the country and world. The streets of La Crosse started seeing increased motorcycle traffic and on Friday June 27th, the bikes were unveiled to a huge crowd, as many of the 50 were fired up to the spectator?s delight. The noise was deafening, but the excitement of firing the bikes up for the crowd kept S&S 50th Anniversary engines running for almost five minutes as the builders announced their presence through their pipes. Another surprise came about during the unveiling when Ron Hutchinson of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles presented S&S Chairman George B Smith and president Brett Smith with a plaque commemorating the 50th Anniversary of S&S.
Ken Smith, second generation Smith family member said, ?When I came to work with my mother and father at S&S in 1971 I never dreamed that someday I would witness the company?s 50th anniversary. I was overwhelmed by the support of the builders and riders of the motorcycle community, the media and the general public who came to La Crosse from all over to help the Smith Family celebrate the event. I had the chance to remember and revisit many fond memories that I hadn?t thought of for a long time. It was a great tribute to my parents, the founders of S&S, and all of the employees who helped build the company. Everyone should be proud of their accomplishments. I know I am.?
The weekend began to heat up quickly with excitement and warm temperatures when a torrential Wisconsin downpour began?creating a flood at the far end of the festival grounds and out into the streets. But, like weather in the Midwest, an hour later it was gone and the waters receded and the crowd was back to packing the festival grounds quickly. Undaunted by weather some 10,000 people visited the event Friday.
Total attendance through the whole three days exceeded 28,000 paid (spectators 12 and under were admitted free) on the festival grounds, however, it is estimated there were a few thousand other guests that never entered the fest grounds. Saturday at the La Crosse Speedway, The Horse magazine and S&S teamed up to present a ride-in chopper show for about 200 bikes with a huge group of spectators. Additionally, La Crosse Harley-Davidson led a ride to J&P cycles to participate in their anniversary party. Local radio station 95.7 The Rock also hosted a ride for well over 600 bikes to get out and see the scenery on the river on both the Wisconsin and Minnesota side.
La Crosse Mayor, Mark Johnsud said, ?Hats off to S&S Cycle for a great 50th anniversary! It provided an opportunity for us to not only showcase S&S Cycle, a premier manufacturer of top quality motors and parts, but also the La Crosse community. The local residents enjoyed seeing the bikes as much as the visitors enjoyed showing them off. It was a great crowd that we would welcome back anytime.?
During the event S&S teamed up with three local charities?Riverfront, Boy?s and Girl?s Club and the Children?s Museum?to sell S&S merchandise. They sold over $56,000 worth and all of the profits realized from those sales will be divided evenly among them. Additionally, The Oktoberfest board of Directors decided to add $26,500 to the pool to be divided among the three?as well as the monies they paid into 12 volunteer groups working the event to raise money for their charities.
Now, onto the most important part of the weekend, the winners of the show!
Champion
Hot Dock, JAPAN
P-Series
Krugger Motorcycles
SH-Series
Cook Customs
SB-Series
Odyssey Motorcycles
V-Series
Nicolas Chauvin Designs
T-Series
Bennett?s Performance
X-Wedge
Fred Kodlin Murdercycles
People?s Choice
Dougz Custom Paint & Fabrication
WHEN BIKERS MEET HUMANS by J.J. SOLARI–Warning * WarningThis book is not recommended for general readers, kids under eighteen, pregnant women, those with weak stomachs, rigid moral codes, or those who value life in all its infinite variety. Also, if you should buy it, read it, and are either deeply offended or unutterably bored, please don?t complain.
Socially Unredeeming Tales of Species in Collision There is much less violence in this book than you might expect from the cover. The illustrations are unique and disgusting. You?ll certainly encounter fewer human casualties than you would watching any action-oriented film or television show.
However, animal lovers be warned, dogs do not fare well here, indeed the title might more appropriately substitute ?canines? for ?humans?. Those of a squeamish or fastidious nature should probably also avoid this book. These stories are awash in body fluids, noxious happenings, blasphemy, casual cruelty, and the sort of language that would cause Larry Flynt to blush.
So if you want something completely different, something really out there, then this is for you.
BIKERNET NEWS FROM LAS VEGAS–THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING INLAS VEGAS , BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED. SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS..
THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN.
THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS.
–from Rev CarlR
LOW CATS FROM D&D PUT A ROAR IN YOUR SOFTAIL–Just Released – Low Cat Pipes For Softails – Enthusiasts have been writing, calling and emailing for a performance-oriented Fat Cat pipe for their Softails. So we worked on an upswept pipe that delivers the performance of the FAT CAT that we called the Low Cat.
They are ideal for riders that hit the curves hard, have lowered their bikes or have pumped up the performance of their sleds. They show a substantial can out the back and are made in show-quality chrome or midnight black. Because they are designed as an upswept pipe, standard saddlebags may not fit. Fitted for 2000-2008 Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycles(except Rocker).
Get the scoop at D&D Performance Enterprises… where Performance + Economy Meet
COP GET SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR SEX CRIME–Former GBPD officer arrested. A former Gulf Breeze Police officer Duane Leifur, 38 was arrested on Jan. 25 on charges of sexual battery and unlawful compensation. The arrest stemmed from a complaint that Leifur demanded sex from a citizen after a traffic stop in April. Leifur resigned from the force in July.
Police documents said Leifur had sexual contact with the victim over a period of three months last year.
Gulf Breeze Police officials said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement was handling the investigation and declined to comment on the case.
The former Gulf Breeze police officer has been charged with sexual battery after a woman said he forced himself on her dozens of times following a traffic stop in April.
The sexual battery charge is a first-degree felony, with a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. The compensation charge is a second-degree felony with a maximum of 15 years in prison.
According to the arrest warrant, Leifur pulled the woman over in April on suspicion of drunken driving. Rather than administer field-sobriety tests, he took her home in his patrol car. He reminded her that he had previously arrested her husband and asked if she wanted to get arrested.
Leifur gave her his card and insisted she call him. Because she wasn?t sure how much trouble Leifur could cause for her, the warrant said she called him the next day, and he made her feel grateful for not arresting her. He also told her that although he had a girlfriend, he needed more sex.The victim told investigators that during the next few months, she and the officer engaged in sex acts at least 20 times at her home and about 30 times at his home. Then she got tired of him and snitched him off.
FATBOB PROJECT NEEDS KNOCKOUT PIPES– Here is a Shovel that, I think should be sporting those pipes. Shitty pic but I was in a rush for the Thursday news. FATBOB the turquoise tanks are right gas and left oil.
Sorry brother, but Rhys won that set. They were designed for a stretched custom frame and wouldn’t fit your classic.–Bandit
THE NEWS IS TOAST, COMPLETE, FIN–We survived once more. Sturgis is flying at us like a wild animal being allowed to escape to the forest. Our Brouhaha Best of Show Trophies are being made as we speak with the help of Kevin Baas. I’ll start building the Best of Show bases next week. We’re going to build them so a brother can take his apart, load it on his bike and peel out. Our 5-Ball trophies can be used as shift knobs in the future. What could be better?
We’re trying to think of everything. Seth Dalton who organizes the Hollister Rally is helping us with our show and printing hand-out cards for the streets of Sturgis. Peter Orpeza is working on our massive Thunder Road Banners and Jeff and Bob Osias have the T-shirt art ready to rock. I’m hoping to tune and fire the Salt Shaker for the run to Sturgis and Mike Lichter’s Exhibit and I’m hauling my Sturgis Shovel out, so I’ll have something to ride. I need to make the Hamster ride on Thursday or they might pull my t-shirt.
The pressure’s on, but it’s all coming together–I’m rolling the dice. Hope my old truck will make it. Dr. Hamster is riding the Salt Shaker to Sturgis, checking it in with Mike Lichter then riding Nyla’s fresh Bobber, built by Kent Weeks of Lucky Devil Metal Works, around town until we arrive. Somebody needs to break it in. It’s a tough assignment, but the good doctor volunteered.
In the meantime we have a ton of material headed at Bikernet from techs to features and fiction. Have a helluva holiday. Don’t ride drunk and leave one redhead for me.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
