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LUCKY DEVIL METAL WORKS UPDATE– I forgot to mention that I sent the Road King build material to Johnny on a disc, as we discussed a while back. The feature came out in Hot Bike this month. I am also working with Holly and Darryl on the Bikini girl deal and the bike show winner photos so we can get that done ASAP.
I will get some more work done on Nyla’s bike this weekend so we can move on to the sheetmetal design.
–Kent
HARLEY SEES LAYOFFS, OUTPUT CUTS AND BLAMES STRIKE– Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG.N) plans to lay off up to 740 workers and cut production at two sites because of a strike at its largest motorcycle plant, the company said.Negotiators for the company and the strikers planned to meet with a federal mediator today, Harley said. No details on the meeting were made public.
Nearly 2,800 workers at Harley’s York, Pennsylvania, plant, which makes some of the company’s most profitable motorcycles, walked off the job on February 2 after their contract expired. Harley is seeking a variety of concessions from the workers.
In a statement posted on its Web site, dated February 5, Harley said it would reduce production of engines, transmissions and components at two plants that supply parts to the York facility. That will mean the temporary layoff of about 740 workers at the plants in Menomonee Falls and Tomahawk, Wisconsin, it said.”The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone and the foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone,” said Bob Simonson, an analyst at William Blair & Co. “There are inter-relationships here.”
A spokesman for the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service confirmed the meeting between the two sides today but declined to provide further details. Union officials were not available for immediate comment. The workers are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
PENNY PER SHARE PER DAY
Analysts estimate the strike could reduce the company’s earnings by about 1 cent per share per day. Analysts on average expect Harley to earn 98 cents per share in the first quarter.In a note to clients, RBC Capital Markets analyst Edward Aaron said that dealers who carry the motorcycles — an icon for the nation’s aging baby boomers — view the strike as a positive in its early days, as it will provide them an opportunity to sell down existing inventory.
“This can only be a positive event if Harley has been over-producing motorcycles,” Aaron wrote. “To acknowledge that Harley has been over-producing is to acknowledge that Harley has been over-earning.”
Simonson said, “If they can’t resolve it in a reasonable amount of time, there will be impacts that will be greater two weeks from today than they are today on a monetary basis, and a heck of a lot greater two months from today than they are two weeks from now.”
Worker concessions sought by Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Harley include a two-tier wage-and-benefit plan. The company says it is trying to avert a cost crunch like the one that has hammered Detroit automakers.
Investor reaction to the strike in its early days has been muted. Harley shares were up 44 cents at $69.60 in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares have risen about 4 percent since their February 1 close, the day before the strike.
–from Rogue
ENTER BIKERNET’S SHARPEST SOFTAIL CONTEST– WIN a new set of high-performance Fat Cat or Boarzilla performance exhaust pipes for your Harley-Davidson Softail. It’s easy send us:
Name
Email
Picture of your bike
Telephone
Details on your bike
Why you need a performance pipe
Send entries to softail@horspowermarketing.com and we will post them on bikernet.com, DandDexhaust.com and have the community at bikernet.com vote for the ‘Sharpest Softail’ of Bikernet.
About Fat Cat & Boarzilla Details
The 2 into 1 Fat Cat & Boarzilla Performance Pipes make up to 12 additional horses depending upon your configuration. The stylish upswept design provides the performance rider with extra ground clearance. Each pipe is hand fitted and installed with heat shields.
Each pipe is tuned for performance and sound. Not only do D&D pipes look good, you can feel the deep rumble that only a D&D equipped V-Twin can make.
To get a performance pipe for your Harley or custom V-Twin logon to
To see how your bike will look and perform log on to the D&D Web site.
BIKERNET PHOTO ART EXHIBIT OF THE WEEK–Crazy Horse once said “My lands are where my dead lie buried” and anyone who has ever ridden through the Black Hills can sense that the rightful owners of that land are still present.
Ride Hard,
–Whiplash Biker Photog
LANE SPLITTING FEVER GROWS–ABATE OF THE GARDEN STATE CALL TO ACTION–Legal Lane Splitting a Possibility in New Jersey!A bill has been introduced by Assemblywoman ALISON LITTELL MCHOSE in the NJAssembly to form a 5-member commission to study the pros and cons of havinglegal lane splitting for motorcycles caught in congested traffic conditions.
If this were enacted into law you could legally go between lanes ofautomobiles to help prevent your motorcycle engines from overheating and to helprelieve the congestion.
We need your help to notify our legislators that we support this bill.
Please visit the site below and send an email to your legislators.You do not need to know who they are since the site will determine that foryou based on your zip code.The text of the message has already been written for you, making this a veryeasy process………http://capwiz.com/amacycle/issues/alert/?alertid=9246261
We cannot do this alone, we need your help.Think of how much you would appreciate just being able to go around the shoretraffic on those hot days rather than sitting in traffic with your expensiveengine overheating.
The email will take you no longer than 1 minute to send.To maximize the effect of this email, please forward this email to as manyfriends of motorcycle rights as possible.
–Rudy Avizius
Legislative Coordinator
ABATE of the Garden State – SW Chapter
http://www.gardenstateabate.org
–from Rogue
BIKERS BAND TOGETHER FOR A COMMON CAUSE– The Republican, MA – Last year, Massachusetts motorcyclists were given hope that finally, after many years, there would be sweeping changes to the state motorcycle and insurance laws that would be to their benefit.
State Bill 1344 was passed by the Senate and sent on to the House, where it died a slow death in the House Ways and Means Committee.
Former Gov. W. Mitt Romney had pledged to sign the bill if it had made it to his desk. Unfortunately, that did not happen.If you remember, the legislation contained four parts: a helmet choice with provisions; opting out of the current motorcycle insurance system and entering a competitive market allowing for lower rates; increasing the civil and criminal penalties to motorists who cause accidents for right-of-way violations; and changes to current motorcycle noise laws.
Now faced with the new administration of Gov. Deval L. Patrick and some new state representatives and senators, and with the continued fight by several large Massachusetts-based insurance companies – including Commerce and Arbella Insurance – which oppose competitive rates, it is basically a start from scratch proposition for any motorcycle-related bills.
Paul Cote, who is the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association’s director of government relations, tells me that all the bills have been refiled for the new session of the Legislature. The association sponsored many of the bills, and, in the past six years, has been directly responsible for the enactment of six bills that favored bikers.This is quite an accomplishment considering that the association is an all-volunteer force.
Massachusetts has seen a drop in motorcycle fatalities despite increased registrations and national statistics to the contrary.
This tells me also that we, as bikers, are not going to get anything done in our favor unless we band together for a common cause. If you’re tired of paying absurdly high insurance rates or of being treated like second-class citizens, register to vote, find out who your representatives are and call or e-mail them, asking them to support motorcycle-friendly bills and sign on as co-sponsors. Join the Massachusetts and the American motorcycle associations.Cote also tells me that there are about 20 motorcycle-related bills that have been filed. Some are duplicates and some are anti-noise bills, the latter being sponsored by those who are most assuredly not pro-motorcycle.
So I urge you as motorcyclists get active and participate in some of these things. Let’s make this state a better place to ride, and you can’t do that unless you get involved.For more detailed information or to join the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association, log on to
Goings On: The Amvet Riders of Chicopee will hold a Valentine’s dance at 7 p.m. Feb. 17. The cost is $5; the dance will be held at Amvets Post 12, 754 Montgomery St., Chicopee. For more information call, the post at (413) 533-8060 or e-mail Moe at moses254@aol.com
On March 5, the Melha Riders will hold an officer installation dinner in honor of longtime rider Charlie Coleman. The dinner will be held at the Melha Shrine Center, 133 Longhill St. in Springfield. A social hour begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7. Catered by B’Shara’s, the dinner will be followed by the introduction of club officers and entertainment by nationally known comic Andy Hendrickson. All are welcome, and the cost is $18 per person. For information or tickets, contact John Lanucha at (413) 732-1115, Sandy Ashline at (413) 525-3024 or Rick Rice at (413) 525-6986.
THE MAN WHO KNOWS HIS MATH–He writes:I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver, who cutright in front of a pickup truck, causing the driver to drive onto theshoulder to avoid hitting her.
This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out hiswindowand gave the woman the finger.
‘Man, that guy is stupid,’ I thought to myself. I ALWAYS smile nicelyandwave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me intraffic, and here’s why:I drive 48 miles each way every day to work.
That’s 96 miles each day.Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper.Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway.There are 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles.That works out to 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars.
Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper-to-bumper, I figureIpass at least another 4000 cars.That brings the number to something like 36,000 cars that I pass everyday.
Statistically, females drive half of these.That’s 18,000 women drivers!
In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS.That’s 642.
According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life asdissatisfying orunrewarding.That’s 449.
According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females haveseriously considered suicide or homicide.That’s 98.
And 34% describe men as their biggest problem.That’s 33.
According to the National Rifle Association, 5% of all females carryweaponsand this number is increasing.That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female thathasa lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriouslyconsidered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed.
Give her the finger? I don’t think so!!!
–from James Schnarr
Win A Custom a $649.95 Thunder Saddle of Your Tattoo!–This is what you have been waiting for. For the next 6 months Metric Thunder will be giving away a custom Thunder Saddle each month. These saddles are the most exclusive saddles and most comfortable saddles every made. They are very cool because each saddle represents your tattoo.
The Tattoo Contest
BANDIT of Bikernet will pick the best looking tattoo of the month and we will make a custom Thunder Saddle with the Tattoo embossed on the saddle. Each saddle comes equipped with Saddlemen’s Saddle Gel. Saddle Gel makes an incredibly comfortable seat and allows you to stay on your motorcycle for longer periods of enjoyable riding.
How to Enter the Thunder Saddle Contest
Entering is easy. Just send an email to: tat@horsepowermarketing.com with your:
? Name
? Telephone number
? Picture of you and your tattoo
? Year and model of motorcycle
It’s just that easy. Send a picture of yourself sporting your favorite tattoo and you could be riding around with it on your motorcycle. It is your exclusive seat that is a show stopper and conversation piece wherever you stop.
For more details and rules click here. See the latest tattoo entries by clicking here.
JOE PASSED AWAY–His will provided $30,000 for an elaboratefuneral. As the last guests departed the affair, his wife, Helen turned to her oldest friend.
“Well, I’m sure Joe would be pleased,” she said.
“I’m sure you’re right,” replied Jody, who lowered her voice and leaned in close. “How much did this really cost?”
“All of it,” said Helen. “Thirty thousand.”
“No!” Jody exclaimed. “I mean, it was very nice, but $30,000?”
Helen answered. “The funeral was $6,500. I donated $500 to the church. The wake, food and drinks were another $500. The rest went for the memorial stone.”
Jody computed quickly. “$22,500 for a memorial stone? My God, how big is it?!”
“Two and a half carats.”
–from Art Friedman
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