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VIPER MOTORCYCLE PRESIDENT RESIGNS–I have resigned as the President and Executive Vice President of Viper Motorcycle Company. I will remain as a Director and continue to support our efforts.
On behalf of myself and Viper, I want to thank you for your support over the years. It’s been a pleasure to work with you and I wish you continued success.
I contacted Terry and he made the following comment, “It?s just a re-organization; reducing expenses, head-count reduction, no big deal. I have an office in Dallas and operations are in Minnesota so it?s a cost savings for us. We?re devoting all available funds to get us into production. I?m not going away all together.”
–Terry Nesbitt
President
Viper Motorcycle Company
THE 7TH ANNUAL V-TWIN EXPO IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER–With over 500 exhibitors already attending, can you afford not to attend? Get the latest information onthe hottest new parts and accessories all under one roof. On-line registration is open until January 26th,but register today and we will send your complimentary badges out to you before the show.
No lines — no waiting! It doesn’t get any better than that! KAWASAKI ANNOUNCES THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIPEXTENSION WITH INFINEON RACEWAY– IRVINE, Calif. (January 17, 2007) – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (KMC), recently announced a three year extension to their long-standing partnership with Infineon Raceway. Kawasaki and the raceway have maintained a relationship since 2001, and as a result of this extension, Kawasaki will continue as the “Official Motorcycle, ATV and Personal Watercraft” sponsor of Infineon through 2010. KMC will also retain title sponsorship of the facility’s AMA Superbike event each Spring.”Kawasaki has been one of the raceway’s strongest partners over the years,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. “We appreciate the outstanding support they have provided for motorcycle racing at this facility and look forward to our continued association with the Kawasaki brand.” Infineon’s annual AMA Superbike Championship event, which is titled: “The Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown” is held in May. In addition to that title sponsorship, the partnership will also include: an annual large-scale Northern California-based retail promotion in advance of the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown, year-long signage placement at Infineon Raceway, and Kawasaki corporate ticket packages and hospitality at all of the raceway’s major events each year. “Kawasaki and our Northern California dealers have benefited greatly from the relationship with Infineon over the past several years, as have the many racing fans who have taken advantage of the special ticket packages offered through our dealerships,” said Bruce Stjernstrom, Kawasaki Director of Marketing. Kawasaki fans will have something to look forward to during the upcoming AMA Superbike Showdown, as the Monster Energy Kawasaki factory roadrace team will enter a two-rider pairing for the 2007 AMA season. The team, featuring established racers Roger Hayden and Jamie Hacking, will compete in the Superbike and Supersport classes on the Ninja? ZX?-10R Superbike and all-new Ninja ZX-6R Supersport machines. Kawasaki’s factory roadracing effort will also be supplemented by the Attack Performance satellite team of Ben Attard and Steve Rapp. Piloting Ninja ZX-6Rs, both riders will be competing in the AMA Supersport and Formula Extreme classes. 2-WHEELERS PRODUCT OF THE WEEK–Black or Brown Classic Solo Seat. Measurments 13 inches wide by 14 inches long and it comes with 4-inch seat springs. Price 109.99 CCBIKERART.BIZ OPENS ONLINE STORE–CCBIKEART.biz is pleased to announce that is now also has an online store. A selection of art photos of Daytona Bike Week 2006, Biketoberfest 2006 and Sturgis 2006 are now available in different sizes, on photo paper and on canvas. The photos of Patrick “The Chief” Cusse and Christie “The Duck” Goodwin appear regularly on Bandit’s Bikernet, and they have recently also worked for Eddie Trotta’s Thundercycles and Santiago Choppers. Apart from motorcycle photography, they work mainly for the music industry. Their clients include guitar legend Joe Satriani and British classic rock giants Status Quo. Other artists using their work include Ted Nugent, Pavlov’s Dog and John Waite. & CCBIKEART.biz – Everybody has to sometimes break the rules TRUE-TRACK REPORT ON ASSALT WEAPAN FRAME DESIGN–Well, a little behind as usual. Preparing for the V-Twin Expo plus deluged with orders, a good thing. I spoke with Rick from US Choppers about the ASSALT FRAME.We covered the following points: Rear axle stays- Solid steel Billet (for weight) rather than steel plate. Lower frame rails- 1 1/4 inch diameter (machined to accept fillers for variable weight balancing). Head tube- Solid with press in bearings rather than cheaper press in cup type head tube that could possibly rotate. Head tube with fork stop machined as one piece. I have two versions of this that I am sending Rick.Also the fork stop will be at the top rather than the bottom with limited turn radius.Rake at 34 degrees for self centering. TRUE TRAIL should be at 3 – 3 1/2 inches, this will make handling lazy and slow. Lower TRUE TRAIL would have quick steering, higher about 5 inches would require a lot of effort. A TRUE-STEER turning stabilizer will also an addition as used on “SALT SHAKER.” We covered rider position and handle bars position, 5-10 degrees back no bends. Arms should be extended with a slight bend too limit turn radius and to over steer. It will be a must for Val to do a fitment for fuel tank configuration, etc. Be Cool INCONVENIENT TRUTH– Al Gore is a punk. If you want to see a good movie try “Little Miss Sunshine.”Ask the California citrus growers about global warming.Please stay on the subject of motorcycles. I like Bikernet. Don’t f#%k it up. –Bruce VIRGINIA SAFETY BILL OUT OF COMMITTEE–With HB1808 out of Committee, now is the time to start writing our delegates and asking that they support this bill when it comes up for a vote. Below is some information about the bill, and some talking points you may want to use in your correspondence: HB1808 (Patron – Delegate Poisson) – Allows motorcyclists to ride two abreast in a single traffic lane. http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?071+ful+HB1808 Talking Points: Please email as many Delegates as possible, but at the very least, email YOUR Delegate. Having said that – we are requesting that you NOT contact Delegate Ebbin. Delegate Ebbin been our opponent in the past, but has agreed to vote with us on this bill and has strongly requested that he not receive a bunch of emails requesting him to do so. Don’t know who your Delegate is? Find him/her here http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform Don’t know the contact info for your Delegate? Find your Delegate on the list and click the name here http://leg1.state.va.us/071/mbr/MBR.HTM Let’s make sure our Representatives know what we want – write as soon as possible and spread the word!! No out of state action requested. FYI only: Well, the 2007 Legislative Session is underway and we’ve already had bills heard and voted on in Committee! Bernie is in Richmond at the Capitol and called to tell me that HB1808 (Patron – Delegate Poisson – Allows motorcyclists to ride two abreast in a single traffic lane) and HB2177 (Patron – Delegate BaCote – Makes minor changes to the Motorcycle licensing procedures) have made it out of the House Transportation Committee. These bills went to committee pretty quickly with no real chance to send an advance warning to you. As other bills are assigned committee hearing dates, you’ll be receiving an alert to write our Delegates asking for support. We have a short session this year, so things will likely happen pretty quickly. I promise to do my best to get the information to you as quickly as possible, and I know you will take action as quickly as possible. Let’s make this a legislative session to remember! –Penny Adams “Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians.” Chester Bowles (1901 – 1986) “Somebody has to do something, and it’s just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.” Jerry Garcia, (of the Grateful Dead) THE OTHER DONNIE SMITH SHOW HIGH SCHOOL REPORTS IN–We have been real fortunate to have Dennis from AnokaPower Hammer on board to help us hand craft all thesheet metal on this build. He has donated the use ofone of his power hammers and an English wheel to theclass until we are done with the bike..Thanks Dennis! We also have a wicked new springer donated by ChadPearson of Pearson customs. He hand fabricated thespringer to fit the bike and also made us a custom setof brass clip-on handlebar clamps. This bike has alow fat mean look which look great with these one-of-a-kind new bars. Other sponsors such as Larry Middletonof Bikers Choice helped us with a big donation of manyof the odds and ends we were in need of as well asGoblin Millworx with the magneto and Solutionsmachining with one of them beautiful magneto covers. Avon was kind enough to get us some tires and Squiggywho has been a huge help since last years build atDumdAssBiker.com came through with a tranny and beltdrive for us as well as many other needed parts.Finally Chris at Leatherneck Motorsports just sent usa nice box of parts we needed as well as the raw pipepieces from Klock Werks thanks guys! Althoughdonations have been extremely hard to come by thisyear we must really thank all those who are keepingthis dream alive by donating to the cause. A bigthanks to Sucker Punch as always for the wicked new250 tire meathook frame and wheels, they have beenbehind me since I first started this over 5 years ago. Our ’58 Panhead build has been mocked up tore down andis off to paint and we hope to have this bike apartfor paint by the end of the month. Thanks again toBandit for his support with the publicity and toanyone else we may have forgot..trust me we appreciateall you have done for us. This is changing young livesin so many ways and has been approved by the schoolboard for next year to be a stand alone class (nolonger just an after school club), that the kids canfind in the course guide and register for!!! We aremaking a difference and this milestone is a bigaccomplishment! Anyone interested in helping us thisyear or next year or any year with anything pleasecontact me Kevin “TEACH” Baas atbaasmetalcraft@yahoo.com. One last note there is a picture of last years bikeminus a motor and tranny…this roller is for sale asyou see it for $9,000.00 OBO. We needed to reuse themotor after our attempts to get a new mill for thisyears build were unsuccessfull. This roller wasfeatured in many magazines last year and needs to besold to help fund the class, the money is used to buytools supplies and equipment for the shop. –Kevin Baas AVON TIRE TECH QUESTION OF THE WEEK–What about tubes in tubeless applications? I know riders who run tubes in all tires, tubeless or not, for safety reasons.–BANDIT If you run a tube in a tire that is designed to be run tubeless this can generate more heat as it is just adding another layer into the mix and this can cause the tire to wear out prematurely. The whole idea of a tubeless tire is to avoid rapid deflation. There is a liner in a tubeless tire which when penetrated, wraps itself around the nail or rock or whatever has penetrated the tire. This tends to make for a very slow deflation. For example, (you can even do this in a bar and win money – bet someone you can stick a pin in a balloon and it won’t delate) take a deflated balloon and put a small square of duct tape on a section of the balloon. Now inflate the balloon and stick a pin through the duct tape square. The balloon doesn’t deflate. Now if you have a tube type rim with a tubeless tire then you do need to run a tube in the tire. –Sukoshi Fahey (Ms.) S&S FIRST TO OBTAIN EPA ENGINE CERTIFICATION– S&S Cycle, Inc. has successfully procured EPA Certification on all three of its V-Series engine families, becoming the first motorcycle engine manufacturer to produce pre-certified EPA compliant engines for use by individuals and custom bike builders. By using motors that are pre-certified to meet emissions regulations, individuals and builders can now build EPA compliant motorcycles without having to go through the complicated and costly emissions testing procedures themselves, thus allowing small volume manufacturers to build and sell as many custom motorcycles as they want to, and individuals can now own, ride and sell them without prior restrictions as long as the engine package is not altered in any way that increases exhaust emissions. Under EPA regulations issued in 2003, custom bike builders are limited to building only 24 non-compliant motorcycles per model year, and individuals are allowed to own only one EPA exempt kit bike in their lifetime. But following a year of successful efforts between the EPA and industry and consumer groups, the “Certification Procedure for Highway Motorcycle Engines” EPA letter of guidance dated July 25, 2006 CISD-06-15 (MC), now allows builders of aftermarket engines to provide EPA-compliant engine packages to individuals, dealers and small volume motorcycle manufacturers (<3,000 annual units, excluding California), thus circumventing the strict regulations applied to non-EPA compliant motorcycles. Therefore, the new Certification Procedure will permit certified engines installed in new highway motorcycle chassis to be operated or re-sold without onerous construction and ownership restrictions, provided the requirements of the procedure, as well as the federal Clean Air Act anti-tampering requirements, are met. “This is a very important announcement for the v-twin industry, including every builder and shop in the US. We have been working hard on these certifications since the letter of guidance was issued in July of 2006 and I’m extremely happy to see all three of the engine families approved just as the 2007 season is ready to kick off,” said S&S VP of Product Development, Scott Sjovall. STURGIS BUILDERS’ BREAKFAST WILL BE BACK IN AUGUST AT THE RALLY–Join the world’s most recognized bike builders for the 2nd Annual Builders Breakfast in Sturgis. Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at the Broken Spoke Saloon on Lazelle St. Ticket proceeds benefit charity. The first annual event sold out and raised more than $13,000 for the Children’s Care Hospital in South Dakota. Each and every Builder donates their time to come and share a meal with you at this history making breakfast event. Come for a great cause! Tickets and details available at: –Darcy Betlach AMERICAN FREEDOM RIDERS TRAVELING TO VIETNAM WALL THIS WEEKEND–A group of American Freedom Riders are going on an unofficial ride to Wickenburg this Saturday (1-20) to see the traveling Viet Nam Wall. Everyone is invited to join us, especially those of you who rode with us last weekend to the Ramos and Compean rally. What a great group of riders – real patriots and real people. We will stage in the Denny’s parking lot on Bell Rd. just west of I-17. Kickstand up at 10:00 am. We will make a straight run to Wickenburg, spend whatever time is appropriate at the wall, and then come back to the Western Trails Ranch for lunch and beverage. We are hoping that many of you will get to know us better and want to ride with us regularly. Many of us also ride with the Patriot Guard when we can, but the fact is, ten times more Americans are killed by illegal aliens in our own country every year than are servicemen overseas, and we feel that this problem does not receive the attention it deserves. We have a lot of activity planned to address various aspects of illegal immigration, and we intend to remain active in the Ramos and Compean convictions for as long as necessary. Nacho Ramos and his family spent two days with us and we quickly learned that they are wonderful people and great Americans. What is happening to him is absolutely heartbreaking. Come enjoy the day with us and see if our goals make sense to you. –Danny WARNING!! OWNING A COOL SUCKER PUNCH SALLYS CUSTOM MAY BRING YOU “UNWANTED” ATTENTION!!–That’s right. The bobber craze drives women wild. IDAHO MRO FORMED– BikePAC of Idaho, Inc., a new statewide grassroots motorcyclist rights organization (MRO), has been recently formed to address the concerns of motorcycle riders in Idaho at both the state and federal level. BikePAC is a member based organization and is actively seeking area representatives to promote motorcycle safety, awareness and involvement in the political process. For more information on BikePAC of Idaho and the “new” Red Light Bill (S1367) that its members initiated, please visit our website, http://www.bikepacofidaho.org. BikePAC of Idaho was recently approved as an NCOM Member Group by unanimous vote of the NCOM Board of Directors. Over 2,000 motorcycle organizations, associations and clubs are members of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, a nationwide umbrella organization that supports the efforts of state and local motorcycle groups with networking, information-sharing, lobbying, legal counseling and organizational assistance. –Bill Bish NCOM CONVENTION COMING– The 22nd annual NCOM Convention will be held Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-13, 2007, at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, located at 8629 JM Keynes Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Reserve your room now for the special NCOM rate by calling (704) 547-7444 or 1-(800) HILTONS. Hosted by ABATE/Concerned Bikers Association of North Carolina and the Confederation of Clubs North Carolina, this annual gathering draws over a thousand motorcyclists rights leaders from across the country to discuss topics of concern to all riders. Meetings, seminars and group discussions focus on safety issues, legal rights, legislative efforts and litigation techniques to benefit our right to ride. Registration fees for the Convention are $75 including the Silver Spoke Awards Banquet on Saturday night, or $40 for the Convention only. All motorcyclists welcome. To pre-register, call the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) 525-5355 or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com. INSIGHT INTO THE GOVERNMENT NUMBERS GAME– Even if we bought into the government’s claim that unhelmeted riders cost U.S. taxpayers $853 million last year, let’s put that number in perspective. According to MAG-UK (Motorcycle Action Group of the United Kingdom), citing statistics from the BBC website, the United States spent $1.9 trillion on healthcare in 2004, so unhelmeted motorcyclists accounted for .00004% of the total costs. For comparison, caring for smoking related health problems cost the government $12.9 billion, or .007%, making it 150 times more costly. Obesity costs the government $7.7 billion in healthcare expenses. Alcohol costs the government $12.2 billion in healthcare expenses. Medicaid fraud costs the government $140 billion in healthcare expenses. The list goes on. –Rogue Continued On Page 4
–Wil
Davenport, IA
. Virginia is only one of two states that specifically don’t allow two motorcycles to ride two abreast in a traffic lane.
. Two motorcycles abreast in a traffic lane aids in making the motorcycles more visible to other traffic.
. In larger groups of motorcycles, riding two abreast keeps the overall length of the group shorter, and discourages other vehicles from dangerously cutting into the group – an issue motorcyclists riding in groups often face.
Virginia Freedom Riders – Legislative Officer
Member – Sons of Liberty Riders
540-636-2004 (home)
misspenny@vfr-race.com
BAAS METAL CRAFT
Custom made steel signs, art, furniture and fabricated parts.
www.baasmetalcraft.com
952-215-1252
“When in doubt, burn out!”
Sales Manager, North America
800 624-7470 toll free
http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/>www.avonmotorcycle.com
http://www.avonmoto.com/>www.avonmoto.com (check this site for promotions)
Chrome Marketing Inc
Polishing and Building Brands
Phone 952-470-4297
Fax 952-470-4597
www.americanfreedomriders.com
Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Member 2005
