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JOHN REED AND CUSTOM CHROME PART WAYSMorgan Hill, CA (June 1, 2007)–In May of 1986 I signed an exclusive contract to design and prototype proprietary parts for Custom Chrome. These components would be put into production and sold to their dealers and help build their stand alone parts line.
I set up a shop at my house with enough equipment to do Custom Chrome projects, and set lofty ambitions of doing some of my own projects. For the last 20 odd years I have had the opportunity to make all sorts of interesting stuff for CCI, but lofty goals or not, there were a lot of personal projects that saw me gather a lot of parts and do nothing with them.
On May 23 2007 perverse luck smiled on me and helped me out of this predicament. Custom Chrome, due to lack of available work, asked me about ending our contract. I thought about it for 10 seconds and decided it was time to leave the motorcycle industry and retire. After many years making parts for other people, I would now be able to spend all of my time working on my own stuff.
My plan is to make some of the things I thought would be neat, but never could decide if they would work. This will be my time to finish some of the experiments I started and make the stuff necessary to take my own bikes to their next phase. Then I can test my work by riding as fast as I can–hopefully until I am too old to get my leg over the saddle. It may be the time to write a book filled with my observations, (I only said that to freak out a few people) or maybe I will just do nothing for an hour or two.
I have to figure out how to complete a very complicated race bike that beat me a few years back-currently that bike is smarter than me-and with time I think I can outsmart it. I want to finish rebuilding my 1926 Royal Enfield sidecar that made the journey here from England with me, it deserves to be complete. I think I have enough work to keep me happy until they dragged my wrinkly, old ass out of my shop in an ambulance-however, if it is interesting, I may still want to do a project for someone else.
The only regret I have about my new lifestyle is that most of my friends are motorcycle people; which means that I only see them at the rallies and shows during the year. I will miss them, and the time we spent together, dearly. Those of you who are friends, you know how to contact me.
I have been blessed with an interesting career that has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of honorable people-as well as many with no honor. There were people who would give you their life, and others who thought nothing of destroying lives for another dollar. I have met people who have become true friends and others that use friendship for their own gain. Truth be told, I met a lot of really strange people, but then again, think of the person I am. Upon reflection I don’t think I would have changed a lot.
–John Reed
DAIQUIRI WHACKER GAS POWERED BLENDER–Gas powered blender, you ask? Yup – it’s true. The Daiquiri Whacker Gas Powered Blender ($260) features a 25cc Homelite engine, an unbreakable jar, and Zip Start technology. The most manly feature, however, is the handlebar grip speed control which lets you rev it up like a motorcycle. Whacker indeed.www.uncrate.com/men/gear/outdoor/daiquiri-whacker-gas-powered-blender/
HARLEY-DAVIDSON MAKES ITS INAUGURAL SHOWING AT ATLANTIC BEACH BIKE FEST–Atlantic Beach BikeFest, also known as Black Bike Week, took place May 25-27, 2007, and was the first time Harley-Davidson attended the event. The annual Memorial Day event has an estimated 350,000 bikers visiting Myrtle Beach, S.C., for motorcycling fun, food and festivities.
In partnership with the local dealership, Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson, the H-D experience at Colonial Mall included demo rides on all Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles, bike wash detail center for all motorcycles using Harley-Davidson products, admission into the Harley-Davidson Traveling Museum, New Product Display showcasing 2007 motorcycles, MotorClothes and Parts and Accessories, Buell Team Xtreem stunt show performances, three-point basketball shoot outs, pool and a video gaming center. On Atlantic Beach, Harley-Davidson also showcased the latest MotorClothes fashions and accessories in the Ruff Ryders “Show Me What ‘Cha Working With” fashion show on the main stage.
Special guests participated in various events such as Atlanta rap sensation, Yung Jock (‘It’s Goin’ Down’), hip hop legend, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (of the famed group, “Run DMC”) and notable character actor, Clifton Powell (‘Friday After Next’). Myrtle Beach’s own DJ Dynamite, one of the South’s premiere deejays, was spinning records in the Harley-Davidson Experience area for the entire three-day event. All Harley-Davidson events and activities were free and open to the public.
MEES DOESN’T WASTE TIME MATCHING WIN TOTAL FROM 2006; EARNS VICTORY AT VOLUNTEER SPEEDWAY–BULLS GAP, Tenn. (June 3, 2007) – Jared Mees wasn’t kidding when he said he thought his childhood would give him an advantage when the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track GNC Twins series rolled into town.
After all, Saturday was the first time the AMA Twins racers had ever been on the ultra-banked, half-mile Volunteer Speedway. Mees grew up on banked tracks in his home state of Michigan and he put those memories to good use in Tennessee over the weekend.
The 21-year-old earned the race win, his first of the season and fourth of his career. Mees and his Screamin’ Eagle/Blue Springs Harley-Davidson team have finished in the top three at both GNC Twins races this season.
Mees said his mechanic, Johnny Goad, gave him another big advantage before the race even started.
“Johnny had this Blue Springs Harley ready to go, right out of the box,” Mees said. “He had a great setup for a banked track on the bike before the first practice. We pulled the bike out and we didn’t have to change anything except for a few adjustments in the gearing. From the very first practice lap, the bike was fast and I felt really comfortable.
“When you come out strong from the very beginning and don’t have to worry about making a ton of changes, you’re able to relax a little and focus on riding more than anything else. Everything just came together for us. It was as close to a perfect night as you could ask for.”
Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kenny Coolbeth wasn’t able to follow up last week’s Springfield (Ill.) Mile win with another trophy and finished in fourth place. The rest of the Screamin’ Eagle Wrecking Crew – Bryan Smith (Pat Moroney’s Harley-Davidson) and Joe Kopp (Team Latus Harley-Davidson) – finished in 11th and 14th place, respectively.
“We’re proud that all four Wrecking Crew riders qualified for the show,” Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso said. “It’s always tough going to a track that we haven’t raced on before and we’re happy that Jared and his Blue Springs group took the win. I think the entire Wrecking Crew is doing a great job being prepared and competitive every weekend.”
Mees, 21, qualified in the No. 1 position and said the 32 degree banked track made the race – sponsored by the East Tennessee Harley-Davidson dealers – even more fun.
“I had a lot of fun at this track,” Mees said. “The track is banked so much that you could fly into the corners and the banking kept you from just sailing off the surface. The crowd was great, the race was quick and the bottom line is that it was a lot of fun.
“The speedway was small, even for a half-mile. It even made me a little dizzy on that first practice lap. I had to get used to going around so fast. We had 15-second lap times and our main event was so fast you could have held your breath for the entire thing. It was a great race.”
Mees opened the 2006 AMA season with an eighth and 12th place finish at the first two events of the season. Mees went on to earn second place in the final standings with one win (Saluda, Va.), but he likes the third place at Springfield and first place at Bulls Gap much better.
“In years past I’ve struggled with the beginning of the season because of bad luck or just being off my game,” Mees said. “This year is completely different. We have our guns loaded and we’re ready to battle.
“It feels great to already have a win. Every time you win an AMA Grand National event it feels like it’s your first win. There isn’t anything better than winning.”
That includes being the points leader, too. Mees took over the lead in the AMA GNC Twins point standings for the first time in his career, but isn’t putting too much energy into the two-week old list. There are, after all, 11 races left on the schedule.
“There is a long road ahead of us before the point standings really matter,” Mees said. “When you’re racing against guys like Coolbeth and Chris Carr, you have to take it one race at a time. We have to do our best every week and hope we’re near the top of the standings when it matters most.
“Coolbeth and Carr each finished outside the top three this weekend, but that’s rare. It’s nice we took advantage of it this time, but those guys are always right there, so we just have to keep doing our job and preparing for each race the best way possible.”
Bulls Gap, TN Screamin’ Eagle Wrecking Crew Race SummaryMain Event Finish Heat Finish Qualifying
Jared Mees 1st 1st 1st
Kenny Coolbeth 4th 2nd 7th
Bryan Smith 11th 3rd 11th
Joe Kopp 14th 1st 3rd
AMA Twins Top 10 Point Standings(Following two of 13 events)
1. JARED MEES, Screamin’ Eagle/Blue Springs Harley-Davidson 39
2. KENNY COOLBETH, Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson 38
3. Chris Carr, Quality Checked Certified Ford Harley-Davidson 31
4. Jake Johnson, National Cycle Harley-Davidson 29
5. Shaun Russell, Rogers Lake Rac Harley-Davidson 26
6. BRYAN SMITH, Screamin’ Eagle/Pat Moroney’s Harley-Davidson 23
T7. JOE KOPP, Screamin’ Eagle/Team Latus Harley-Davidson 19
T7. Johnny Murphree, National Cycle Harley-Davidson 19
9. Glen Schnabel, American Suzuki 17
10. Jethro Halbert, Zanotti Racing Harley-Davidson 15
TRUE-TRACK BACK ON TRACK–Funny you ask, just spoke to Ronnie about it this morning!He’s got a new guy working at the shop, all debt paid of, caught up withback orders and actually making and stocking inventory!
True Track isback on track.
NEW MODELS FROM BMC CHOPPERS– Love the review. Thankx the BMC testimonial is the best. That’s what it’s all about……..
Check this bike BMC built for Leupold scope company. Their 100 year bike.
The company turned 100 and they had us build a BMC tribute bike for them. Way cool, it’s the biggest scope company in the world.
–Mike & Windy Rouse
mwrouse@bendcable.com
COLORADO NOISE FIGHT– Council members Charlie Brown and Jeanne Faatz voted against the measure.The ordinance will require all motorcycle pipes to have a stamp to show they are in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency noise standards.
Councilman Rick Garcia voted for the ordinance. “Hopefully they will stay out of Denver,” Garcia said about the motorcyclists with loud exhaust pipes.
Two years ago, CBS4 reported on how many motorcycles were violating Denver’s 80 decibel limit. Police from several agencies conducted a brief crackdown, but using a noise meter to catch a moving motorcycle was not an easy task.
City Council members were given a demonstration of both motorcycles in compliance with noise laws, and those that are not.
“There are a lot of one way streets in my district and late at night they’re wide open,” Councilwoman Jeannie Robb said. “These things take off and if they’re not EPA certified, you heard the difference.”
But from those who make a living installing the loud pipes there is another side to the story.
“Loud pipes will save lives because I see people not even paying attention until they hear the pipes and then they look over and see you,” a motorcycle mechanic said.
First time violators of the ordinance would get a $500 fine. For repeat offenders, it could go up to $999.
–Source: CBS4Denver.com
DENVER NOISE LAW DUE TO GO INTO EFFECT JULY 1– The nation’s largest motorcyclist group complained today that Denver’s new noise law is biased against bikers, and said it hopes to persuade city officials to modify the ordinance.
“We do understand the motivation behind legislation like this,” said Bill Wood, spokesman for the 280,000-member American Motorcyclist Association. But by working with the city, “we can come up with something better,” he said.
The law approved by City Council on Monday allows police to issue tickets for motorcycles made after 1982 if they lack factory-issued Environmental Protection Agency sound-test stamps.
But noisy cars and trucks are subject only to a sound-meter test, which motorcyclists say is more fair because it’s more objective, Wood said.
“They have created a double standard there,” he said. “The (EPA-approved) equipment standard only applies to motorcycles, and everybody else gets a (sound-metered) performance standard, which is just exactly what we?ve asked for.”
But Denver police say metering is labor-intensive and costly.
Meters cost at least $1,000 each, said Capt. Eric Rubin, head of the Traffic Operations Bureau. “We could not afford to outfit every officer with one or to keep them maintained or to provide that kind of training,” he said.
Motorcyclists also complain that the new law punishes all bikers for the few who rev up their hogs outside bars at closing time and rumble home through neighborhoods at full throttle.In 2002, the AMA and other motorcycle groups convinced Albuquerque to drop a law similar to Denver?s new ordinance.
The city switched to the sound-meter testing.
As motorcycles soar in popularity, the Ohio-based AMA finds itself battling noise bans in cities across the country.
“Noise has been an issue for decades,” Wood said, noting that the 83-year-old association launched a pre-World War II biker sound-awareness campaign with a character dubbed “Muffler Mike.”
“We’ve seen it across the country on an increasing basis in recent years,” he said, as cities seek to combat an increasingly noisy world.
Mr. Rick Garcia of the Denver City Counsel– It is obvious that the new noise ordnance is discrimination towards motorcyclist. To single out only motorcycles the way you have shows your true intentions. Yes there are motorcyclist that don’t seem to have common sense about their pipes, they are the ones you need to target, not all motorcyclist. All we can do is try our best to get the word out about you and your agenda and work very hard to vote you out of office. You will be getting national attention on this issue. The freedoms of American citizens are at risk now more than ever before in the history of the United States.
You will get your wish about keeping motorcyclist out of Denver, but the ones that will suffer are origination’s like the Children’s Hospital who benefit greatly from Biker charity functions.
The law as written gives the DPD the right to harass any and all motorcyclist regardless of the amount of noise under the guise of checking for the EPA sticker. My new 2007 motorcycle doesn’t have a EPA certified sticker on the exhaust pipes, so I am now a criminal.
–William Gilstrap
THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON NIGHTSTER LAUNCH SERIES ROLLS THROUGH MANHATTAN AND AUSTIN–The bare knuckled Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200N Nightster is at it again, only this time, the motorcycle invaded the streets of New York City. On May 3, a cross-section of young adults packed into the Emerica Product Showroom in SoHo for the second of six Nightster Launch events. The showroom was shoulder-to-shoulder by 7:30 p.m. Within the first two hours, people were literally spinning on their heads as freestyle break dancing broke out downstairs.
The Launch Party featured H-D designer Rich Christoph’s original Nightster sketches, his vision of what the blacked-out, raw Sportster model would look like when created, and two Nightster motorcycles for admirers to sit on. Also on display were a series of Ed Templeton photographs taken on the 2006 Wild Ride – the Emerica cross country skateboarding tour on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The Motor Company, in cooperation with Harley-Davidson of New York City, treated attendees to a wide array of prizes.
From Manhattan, the series made a turn toward the lone star state as it rolled into Austin, Texas, on May 18, at the Scoot Inn. Over 500 people attended to see the bikes, the artwork and talk to representatives from Central Texas Harley-Davidson and Cowboy Harley-Davidson. The tone hit a fever as Austin’s own The Riverboat Gamblers rocked the crowd.
Future Launch Parties are planned for Minneapolis, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Dates and locations are TBD.
OPEN ROAD BIKER.COM REVIEWS BIKERNET–Just thought I would let you know that I have done a review of your site. I know your site needs no publicity; I am just trying to provide my readers with quality content and helpful information. If you do happen to read it then if you have the time drop me a line and tell me what you think. I am a new guy to this website stuff and I am still learning it all as well as doing everything that is involved with the site my self.
–James “36 Special” Terrell
http://www.openroadbiker.net/
http://www.openroadbiker.net/index.php?/archives/67-Bikernet.html> http://www.openroadbiker.net/index.php?/archives/67-Bikernet.html
In my efforts to make my sites better I scour the web looking for web sites and try to determine what they are doing right or wrong. Early on I ran upon Bikernet.com. This site has been around for quite some time and seems to be very popular. Founded by Keith “Bandit” Ball, a name you may have seen in copies of your EasyRiders magazine, who has went on to create a website that is a storehouse of Biker fact, fiction, and rescources that are beyond comprehension. I have explored the website and found some of the best Biker lore stories that I have ever read and trip tales (both fact and fiction) that are in depth and drive a person to feel a desire to ride continually.
Only one part of the website remains that I have yet to visit and that is the subscription only portion dubbed The Cantina. I am not a fan of website subscriptions, mainly because I am poor but also because a lot of web sites abuse it. I think Bikernet may be the exception though. The subscription is fair and the content provided in the free section is high quality so I can only imagine what I would find in The Cantina.
One example of a fine article is this noise study about motorcycle noise levels.
Only a few things stick out in my mind that they could improve on over at Bikernet;
1. The site navigation is a little sketchy. There are so many articles and stories that it would help if they were categorized a little more other than the long list of stories that they have.
2. Over in the forums it seems no one is minding the shop. I registered over a month ago and I still have not received my account activation.
I know those are a couple of petty points but even awesome sites like Bikernet could use some improvement. As far as Bandit goes, well you will probably read some fairly strange stuff about him and I am sure most of it has to be true. Tune in to some of the stories and you will find out what I am taking about.
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