Hey,
I don’t know a damn thing and I have nothing to say. I’m not even sure I’m innocent. Since the Mexico blast I’ve been in a daze. Then it was a mad dash to the Texas National Bike Show, at the Lone Star Rally in Galveston and back for Love Ride Weekend. I’m still spinning and trying desperately to catch up on e-mails.
I apologize If I haven’t run across your e-mail in my harried attempt to catch up. It’s all exciting, but out of hand. This weekend is packed with TV show meetings, No Love Parties, Antique bike auctions and Hamster get-togethers. I will try to launch Johnny White’s report on the Texas National Bike show tomorrow. I have some more book reviews from Jaq in Australia and two bike features to launch next week, including a Steeds and one from the guys in Hawaii. You’ll dig it, so hang on. Let’s hit the news:
The Ultimate Cantina Door Prize – Last Chance To Enter
The Brothers at Pyro Tec in Alton, Illinois have put up a sheet metal paint job for our Cantina Door Prize winner. Just sign in and wait. They will paint your fenders, tanks and oil bag in classic style. You pay for the shipping out and they’ll ship it back.
Any additions can be worked out with the crew at Pryo Tec. The winner will be announced 13 November, Love Ride Sunday. Enter the Door Prize Contest and don’t miss out. Winner will be chosen from a hat on November 13th. Stay tuned…
VTRACEGIRL BIKERNET.COM UPDATE–November 7, 2005, Just got back from the SEMA show (Specialty Equipment Market Association), Las Vegas Convention Center, November 1-4, 2005.
Great vendors, booth presentation. This show is almost impossible to go thru the entire event. Two million sq ft’ inside, and two million sq ft’ outside of vendors. VT was signing autograph posters in the Sport Chassis – Legend Air Ride Suspension booth. This was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I had a chance to see the most expensive set of custom three-piece forged wheels to ever be created: 12,000 diamonds and 800 sapphires totaling 1,100 carats for ONE MILLION dollars in the Asanti booth. Also, visited the Cooper tires booth maybe next year I will have my race bike in their booth. As well as Garrett’s booth Garrett Turbo is the turbo I run in my bike.
Saturday Practice day at Speedworld Raceway. Took my Custom Performance Turbo V-Rod and Fatboy to the track. Cut great lights and had very consistent times on both bikes. I worked on my RT and first 60ft’. On the turbo bike my best ET was 10.32 @ 133.79 mph and RT .063. Best time on my fatboy was 12.15 seconds @ 113.83 mph. I cut a .001 light on the fatboy. Getting the fatboy dialed in for the shoot out in Vegas.
Next event is back to Vegas for the biggest of them all AHDRA Grand Finals coming up at the Jim’s Las Vegas Nationals presented by Barnett Clutches November 12-13. I will be racing my Custom Performance Turbo V-Rod in the Super Sport (SS #261) as well as my 2000 custom fatboy in the 4th Annual Las Vegas High-Stakes Shootout with a $15,000 purse. Last race of the AHDRA season and hope to go out with a WIN.
Monday, November 14th is the AHDRA Championship Awards Banquet. VT has a chance of winning Rookie of the year or Lady of the year for the 2005. Cross your fingers! Please visit my website at www.vtracegirl.com. Till then, see you next week on bikernet.com — VTRaceGirl update!
Special thanks to Tim Sinor @ Sport Chassis and Jesse Jurrens @ Legend Air ride Suspension-Independent Cycle Inc.
POLARIS ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL EXPANSION–Appointment of Mark Blackwell to Vice President of Victory Motorcycles and International Operations Leads Series Of Management Transitions That Poise Company For Strong Growth.
MEDINA, MN (November 7, 2005) – Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE/PSE: PII) has announced the appointment of several members of the management team to new positions, effective immediately.
Mark Blackwell has been named Vice President, Victory Motorcycles & International Operations. Blackwell joined Polaris in 2000 as General Manager of Victory Motorcycles. “Mark has done an outstanding job over the past four years building a very strong team, developing new, compelling product and establishing Victory, The New American Motorcycle, as a legitimate brand positioned for significant growth in the motorcycle industry,” said Polaris President and Chief Operating Officer Bennett Morgan. “There are many reasons why this is a good move for Mark and Polaris – he is a proven leader with strong international experience running businesses and as a motocross champion early in his career.” He added, “His experience will be a huge asset in our developing partnership with KTM and Victory will be a key component of our growth outside the U.S in the future.”
Allan Hurd has been promoted to General Manager, Victory Motorcycles reporting to Mark Blackwell. “Although we do want Mark to have a key role in Victory Motorcycles going forward, we also want to ensure that he has sufficient time to focus on the International business,” said Morgan. An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience, Hurd joined Polaris in 2000 as Director of Engineering for Victory. “He understands our competition and has extensive experience in Europe and other parts of the world,” added Morgan. “Allan and Mark have proven to be an effective team which will be instrumental in our continuing quest to grow our motorcycle business.”
Marc Tullemans has been promoted to the role of International Operations Manager. In this role, he will be responsible for managing the international staff based in Medina and overseeing logistics, marketing and retail development processes on a global basis. Tullemans came to Polaris in 2001 as the Product Manager for the RANGER Utility Vehicle Division and later joined the international team as the Global Sales and Dealer Development Manager. Prior to joining Polaris, Marc held positions at Graco, Thermo King, and Arctic Cat in dealer development, product development, marketing, and international sales roles.
Paul Tomsche has been promoted to International Business Development and Distributor Sales Manager, reporting to Marc Tullemans. In this role, he will be responsible for global business development in a variety of territories. Tomsche joined Polaris in August, 2000 as the Retail Development Manager for the Personal Watercraft division. Prior to joining Polaris, he held a variety of sales, marketing, dealer development, and business management positions at Yamaha for nine years.
John Corness, Vice President of Human Resources since 1999 and having extensive international experience, had been taking on interim responsibilities of managing the international business for the past 7 months leading up to this announcement. “John stepped up and filled a key gap for Polaris at an important time,” said Morgan. “During his leadership, the International team continued to deliver outstanding growth and we thank him for his tireless efforts.” Corness will now resume full-time responsibility for Human Resources.
LETTERMAN’S TOP TEN REASONS WHY GOLF IS BETTER THAN SEX–
#10 – A below par performance is considered damn good.
# 9 – You can stop in the middle and have a cheeseburger and a couple ofbeers.
# 8 – It’s much easier to find the sweet spot.
# 7 – Foursomes are encouraged.
# 6 – You can still make money doing it as a senior.
# 5 – Three times a day is possible.
# 4 – Your partner doesn’t hire a lawyer if you do it with someone else.
# 3 – If you live in Florida, you can do it almost every day.
# 2 – You don’t have to cuddle with your partner when you’re finished.
And the # 1 – reason why Golf is better than Sex…If your equipment gets old and rusty you can replace it.
–from Joe Lankau
SPORTSTER DEAL OF THE WEEK–Shown in the pictures is a 81 H-D iron head sportster. This bike is on consignment, for sale. It is a 1100 Sportster, would make a great project bike. Needs some TLC, but it runs. Asking 2000.00
If interested contact Norman Baab, 316 806 1285 cell or 620 478 2737.
HURRICANE HIT SHOP REPORT–Hope this email finds everyone okay- we just got power back and we had no damage up until Tuesday- The landlord immediately had a new roof installed this past Thurs- Monday- the roofer told us it was finished, so we unwrapped all the stuff and put the shop back together. We came in Tuesday with a generator to get back to work and it was raining-well the roofer forgot to install the roof on our side of the building. We walked into a mess. The water was literally running down every wall in the shop- and the power had come on so the electric boxes were sizzling as the water ran through them. We lost every piece of equipment and hardware and tools- toolboxes were filled with water. The lathe- welder- all of it- after the shock. I called the lawyer- he will do whatever he does and I am out every day looking for a new location and some used equipment.
We will not be taken out by some dumb ass who was an incompetent contractor- especially after all we have been through to make it (Vagabond Chopper Co.) what it is-so other than that bullshit the house & kids are healthy, so is dad and his place. I am grateful for that and my friends and their families are safe and well too- anything else can be fixed-What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger- right? Improvise, adapt, overcome…
Everything is still going as planned we will be in a new location by the first of the month. I will be in Las Vegas for the Big Twin West Dealer Show to help kick off the 1-in-8 series, and I will be unveiling my new chopper at the Seminole hard rock- Roadhouse Finals.
–“The Vagabond Chickie”
Athena
THREE BIKERNET VIRGINS– A mother had 3 virgin daughters. They were all getting married within a short time period.
Because Mom was a bit worried about how their sex life would get started,she made them all promise to send a postcard from the honeymoon with a fewwords on how marital sex felt.
The first girl sent a card from Hawaii two days after the wedding.The card said nothing but “Nescafe”.
Mom was puzzled at first, but then went to the kitchen and got out theNescafe jar. It said: “Good ’til the last drop”. Mom blushed, but waspleased for her daughter.
The second girl sent the card from Vermont a week after the wedding, andthe card read “Benson & Hedges”.
Mom now knew to go straight to her husband’s cigarettes, and she readfrom the Benson & Hedges pack: “Extra Long. King Size”. She was againslightly embarrassed but still happy for her daughter.
The third girl left for her honeymoon in the Caribbean. Momwaited for a week, nothing. Another week went by and still nothing. Then after a whole month, a card finally arrived. Written on it with shaky handwriting were the words” “British Airways”.
Mom took out her latest Harper’s Bazaar magazine, flippedthrough the pages fearing the worst, and finally found the ad for theairline. The ad said: “Three times a day, seven days a week, both ways.”
Mom fainted.
–from Pablo, NC
THE RIDE IS NEXT WEEK-END, YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO PRE-REGISTER AND SAVE $2.50!!!–It’s that time of year again for the 5th Annual LifeStyle Cycles Ride to the Love Ride! Join LifeStyle Cycles Sunday morning November 13th at 6:30 AM at LifeStyle Cycles shop in Anaheim for a huge pancake breakfast and tons of entertainment. The kickstands go up at 8:29AM and we’ll hit the road for Love Ride 22! All registered riders get a limited edition T-shirt, ride wristband, breakfast and entertainment, entry for the raffles and a very cool LifeStyle Cycles sticker. You don’t want to miss out!
Once again, Big’s will be serving up breakfast, we’ll have a ton of surprises, killer entertainment, giveaways and a great time before heading out to Castaic Lake for a great day at Love Ride 22. Make sure you pre-register at LifeStyle Cycles in Anaheim before the event and save $2.50.
Pre-registration is $7.50 before Nov. 13th, $10 the day of the ride!
So come on down to:LifeStyle Cycles at 1534 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92806
(714) 490-0155
Get pre-registered for this awesome event!
BIKERNET BLONDE AND REDHEAD FILES–Two friends, a blonde and a redhead, are walking down the street andpass a flower shop where the redhead happens to see her boy friendbuying flowers.
She sighs and says, Oh, crap, my boyfriend is buying me flowers again.
The blonde looks quizzically at her and says, “You don’t like gettingflowers?”
The redhead says, “I love getting flowers, but he always hasexpectations after giving me flowers, and I just don’t feel like spendingthe next three days on my back with my legs in the air.”
The blonde says, “Don’t you have a vase?
–from Bob T.
BIKERNET GAMBLING ADVICE–Two bored casino dealers are waiting at the craps table. A very attractiveblonde woman from Texas arrived and bet $20,000 on a single roll of thedice.
She said, “I hope y’all don’t mind, but I feel much luckier when I’mcompletely nude.”
With that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled the dice and yelled,”Come on, baby, Mama needs new clothes!” As the dice came to a stop shejumped up and down and squealed . . . “YES! YES! I WON, I WON!”
She huggedeach of the dealers and then picked up her winnings and her clothes andquickly departed. The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded.
Finally, one of them asked, “What did she roll?” The other answered, “Idon’t know. I thought you were watching.”
Moral:
Not all Texans are stupid and not all blondes are dumb, but all men aremen.
Conder Report–Well, after 13 years I finally got Halibrand to step up and work with me on my car wheel adapter hub for motorcycles. It’s a simple, beautiful piece that will help us perverted bike builders to run a badass pin drive ’58 Indy 500 wheel on one of our “crazy” choppers. Hell, I might build a V-Rod on DUBS that pulls a Jacuzzi full of strippers. – More Later! (I built this bike for the SEMA show and I’ll send pics soon…)
The Conderosahttp://www.armageddontopfuel.com
GEARING UP THE THE HOLIDAYS AT WHITEHORSE PRESS–Everyone wants the latest thing to enhance their ride. Even Santa’s been totown to stock up on auxiliary lighting, power connectors, and a whole hostof other ancillary devices. For the “Fully Equipped Bike,” or sleigh as thecase may be, we recommend:
Universal and Custom-Fit PIAA DRIVING LIGHT KITS and HIGH-PERFORMANCEREPLACEMENT BULBS to make your ride safer and more enjoyable. See and beseen! We’ll even help you figure out just what you need.PIAA Driving Lights ($235.95 to$349.95)
POWERLET POWERBAR SOCKETS to power heated riding gear, cell phones, radardetectors, or just about any gadget. These handsome blocks of billetaluminum can be mounted on any 7/8-inch or 1-inch tubular handlebars,crashbars, frame rails, or luggage racks.Powerbar Sockets (7/8-inchdiameter bar, $124.95)Powerbar Sockets (1-inchdiameter bar, $124.95)IMC HELMET ENTERTAINMENT AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS are made for easyinstallation and operation, all at affordable prices. Motojournalist FredRau reports in the November 2005 issue of Motorcycle Consumer News that”After two months of use, I liked mine so much I bought a second for mywife, and two as gifts for riding friends.”Helmet Entertainment System ($34.99 to$199.99)
PATHBLAZER HEADLIGHT MODULATORS to pulse your high beam during daylight soyou stand out and are seen. Available for most motorcycles.Headlight Modulator ($109.95 to $169.95)
HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED– Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, “You’re next.” They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.
–from Joe Lankau
GRAVES IN THE GRAVE–Jerry’s shop ( Graves Custom Cycles ) was destroyed during Hurricane Wilma.Tornado took the roof off, and collapsed a block wall. He had just made ithome from Biketoberfest after winning the Rat’s hole show. Hope you canpass along the bad news, and let the biking community know that all of histalent is still there, minus the building. He’s looking for a new shoplocation as I write.
Mike
954-494-7680
http://www.gravescustomcycles.com/hurricane.html
S&S/G SQUARED BUELL SETS POMONA TRACK RECORD!–The Auto Club NHRA Finals held in Pomona, California kept the Pro Stock Motorcycle crowd on their feet all weekend. During the three days of qualifying fans saw Chip Ellis on the G Squared/S&S Buell hit 190.30 mph, Tom Bradford on the Hal’s H-D V-Twin Buell go 191.38 mph and Matt Smith on the G Squared/S&S/Red Line Oil Buell set a new track record with a 7.000 second, 189.82 mph pass!
The 160ci S&S Pro Stock-powered bikes made quite an impression this weekend by filling up six of 16 slots available for the finals on Sunday. Throughout the eliminations, S&S/Buell powered bikes moved up in the field, especially Chip Ellis who swapped engines just before the semi-finals and on an untuned S&S Pro Stock engine went 7.174 at 183.02 mph! The finals came down to Ryan Schnitz on the Team Muzzy Buell against Andrew Hines and his Vance and Hines bike. Hines red-lighted and handed the win to Schnitz-his third of the 15-round season. In fact, five of the 15-rounds this year were won by S&S Pro Stock powered bikes.
Other 160ci S&S Pro Stock-powered Buell motorcycles also did well this weekend with all six S&S-powered bikes going into the elimination rounds Sunday.
Chip Ellis-G Squared/S&S Buell 7.047 190.30 mph Ryan Schnitz-Team Muzzy Buell 7.063 187.91 mph Chris Rivas-Mohegan Sun Racing Buell 7.198 185.89 mph Matt Smith-Redline Oil Buell 7.000 189.82 mph Tom Bradford-Hal’s H-D V-Twin Buell 7.168 191.38 mph Matt Guidera-Rocklin Motorsports Buell 7.146 183.99 mph
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