Continued From Page 1
Just to add a smile to your day–
1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like…night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
5. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
6. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
7. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
8. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
9. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
10. Support bacteria. They’re the only culture some people have.
11. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
12. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
13. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
14. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
15. OK, so what’s the speed of dark?
16. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
17. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
18. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have film.
–from Rev CarlR
BIKE-BUILDING TREND-CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES ALL THE RAGE BY OUT OF REACH FOR AVERAGE JOE–You’ve probably seen them on the roads in the past week: custom motorcycles. They stand out from the bike crowd because they’re taller (or shorter), longer, louder, flashier and more powerful than most bikes.
They cost between $28,000 and $250,000. They’re usually not comfortable to ride for long. So why are customized bikes so popular?
Looks, say bikers and builders.
Buyers can decide – part by part, upholstery to paint job – how they want their bikes built. The resulting individualized look gets attention.
“A custom motorcycle is a personalized vehicle. Everybody wants a personalized vehicle,” said Gary Woodford of Milwaukee Iron, a custom motorcycle shop in Lynchburg, Va., that is featured in a TV series called “Southern Steel” on The Discovery Channel.
“A lot of guys use it as a status symbol,” said bike builder Kendall Johnson of Winston-Salem, N.C., who also has been featured on the Discovery Channel.
“The men are buying them to catch the women. Then the women catch the men and make them sell the bikes,” Woodford said with a grin.
You won’t catch Eddie Smith of Smithville, N.C., on a one-of-a-kind chopper any time soon. He checked out some high-end custom bikes at SBB Four Corners earlier this week.
“You pay $65,000, and you can’t get parts,” Smith said. “We call them barhoppers. You ride from one place to another and have people look at it. … I’d love to have it, but $65,000? Whew, that’s a lot of money.”
Smith said the bikes were fun to ogle but not affordable for most people. “The average guy, he does good to get a $25,000 Harley,” he said.Even Woodford seemed a bit amazed and amused at how expensive custom bikes have become.”I always say if I was going to pay that much money for something, it better have a front door,” Woodford said.
Woodford and other builders explained that parts, paint and labor make up a large chunk of a custom bike’s cost. Parts can cost $30,000; paint, up to $10,000; machine-shop labor can run $100 an hour.
Two types of custom bikes are choppers, which have with high handlebars and long front ends, and pro street bikes, which are are extra-low and sleek – they look like a cat about to pounce on its prey – with fat tires.
Choppers reached their heyday in the ’60s and ’70s, bike builders said, and got their start when bikers began removing parts to subtract weight, moving parts around and adding parts to their Harley-Davidsons.
As there were few places to buy motorcycle parts, bikers built their own, to their own tastes.
“It was more of an outlaw-type thing,” said Randy Simpson, founder and president of Milwaukee Iron. “You weren’t socially acceptable, and you didn’t want to be.”
–By Sarah P. Kennedy, The Sun News
Yeah, yeah, we knew all that. But we also know that if a man wants to build a bike or own one, he can. It’s the code of the West, no matter how much the paycheck says.–Bandit
DEWEY JELEN OF DEWEY’S CUSTOM PEGS DOWN–Dewey Jelen has had a very seriousand massive stroke sometime last night or early this morning. I talked withMarina’s boss who also works at the same hospital that Dewey is at inFarmington. He apparently had an aneurism in his brain that ruptured and isin surgery at the moment. I have no further information other than this, butI will post something on his web site and hereas soon as I know more. The name of the hospital in Farmington is San JuanRegional.
I haven’t known Dewey for very long but I have been talking to him over thelast few months and working with him some on his web site and helping himwith some of his other graphic art needs as his business has grown. I justgot my heads from him the other day and they are flawless just like he saidthey would be. Dewey is one hell of a guy, he has helped so many people.
As I said Marina’s boss told me it wasvery serious. Not exactly sure what that means and I don’t want to speculatebut say a prayer for our friend Dewey tonight, he needs it.
I will post any info I can on Dewey’s website as soon as possible(Deweyspegs.com)
God bless Dewey
BIKER HAWAIIAN VACATION RENTALS–we just finished (well it’s never finished) the new house at rocky point lefts and it is ready for vacation rentals.This classic old county farmhouse in the traditional Hawaiian style, took me and my sorted crew 47 (10 to 14 hour) days to restore so that friends from the mainland could experience the county spirit of the north shore in real comfort. It is 100 meters to the sand and surf on one full acre with tons of fruit trees!
To see all the photos and get all the information please check it out on my website, just go to http://www.photorussi.com/ and click on ROCKY POINT RENTAL and while you are there, check out some of my galleries to see some of my work.
If you or your friends want to come, book early, as we have an agent http://www.hawaiianbeachrentals.com that holds the calendar and they are very aggressive!But get me your dates and I will hold them for you and you save the 20% commission form them.
Come and see why we want to “keep the country , country!”
Aloha nui,
JIM RUSSI
(808) 228 3307
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE 1902–Branscombe Richmond, star of TV and movies, asks you to join us in Sturgis, SD this August 6-13th, 2005 for the national rollout of American Motorcycle 1902.
American Motorcycle 1902 http://www.amc1902.com is one of the oldest vintage motorcycle brands in the USA. It was first established in 1902 one year after Indian and one year before Harley-Davidson. The motorcycle manufactured by the original company, and proudly bearing the American marquee, was considered to be the best hill climber of its time; power and beauty were two words often used to describe these classic motorbikes. The original American Motor Cycle Co. ceased production of its motorcycles in 1922.
Join us in all the activities and excitement of the 2005 Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Visit our booths, and say hi to Branscombe Richmond, star of movies and TV, at the American Motorcycle 1902 / Hot Bike Vendor row located at the Full Throttle Saloon with Bikernet.com.
Or, join us on a ride through the majestic hills of South Dakota on Thursday Aug 11th for the American Motorcycle 1902 / Hot Bike / Full Throttle Saloon / Bikernet.com Crazy Horse Charity Ride leaving the Full Throttle Saloon at 11AM (registration is 8-10AM). You can also participate in the American Motorcycle / Hot Bike / Full Throttle / Bikernet.com / Custom Performance Horsepower Shootout at the Custom Performance booth located at the Full Throttle. And of course you can just find us hanging out at the Full Throttle Saloon or the Seminole Hard Rock Road House listening to the bands, and having fun. Branscombe will host the awards shows, as well as MC the induction of numerous friends into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame at the inductees breakfast on Wednesday morning. Stop by, say hi, we would love to see you there.
The vision for the new American Motorcycle trademark is to re-introduce the brand and its logo images through a very limited number of special edition custom v-twin heavyweight motorcycles, and to develop a lifestyle brand with related apparel, accessories, and motorcycle lifestyle products that appeals to both motorcycle enthusiasts and mainstream consumers alike.
The company will launch a content rich website as well as hosting an online store, information re: Branscombe Richmond and the Renegade Posse, the motorcycle mafia and various other entertainers, events calendar, news, and content re: the industry and company.
The American Motorcycle 1902 brand shall be re-introduced to the US market in the summer of 2005 when 4 fully customized American Motorcycles will be built as stars of an upcoming movie (to be released in the fall of 2006) featuring Branscombe Richmond, a principal of American Motorcycle 1902. Our website shall feature the building of these bikes along with photos and film of the production once it commences in mid-summer 2005. Visit frequently to see the progress of the build.
BIKERNET SHOP OF THE WEEK–Did you know Larry has a new shop located in West Linthicum Maryland?He has re-opened and is now called McCullough’s Custom CyclesI searched for 5 years through all the local shops until by accident Iran into Debbie and she told me about Larry.He is now in the process of building my custom, which we anticipate to bethe talk of the entire east coast; possibly the west coast as well.
I just found your article, which must be at least three years old. Ionly wish I had found it a lot earlier; I could have saved myself a lotof time checking out second rate shops. I too look at the shop as ameans of grading the capability of the builder.
I visited Larry’s shop behind the gas station three years ago and madethe decision based on the bikes I saw in production. This guy reallyknows his shit.His new phone number is 410-789-5150
–Biker Jim
BIKERNET READER’S RIDE–Just a little something I put together in my garage. Nine years of build, ride , change, till I got just what I wanted, low, fast and one-up. This is a bikers bike, kick only hardtail. Just the basics and that’s all you need.
–Lee Stafford
FULL THROTTLE SALOON BIKERNET/HOT BIKE HORSEPOWER STURGIS SHOOTOUT– Presented By Custom Performance–
When: August 3, August 13, 2005
Where: The Full Throttle Saloon, Sturgis, SD
The first annual Full Throttle /BIKERNET.COM/ Hot Bike Horsepower shootout will be held at the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, SD, Aug 3-13, 2005. Engine builders from around the country will compete to see who has the biggest and baddest engine in the country in what is expected to be an exciting competition that will find where the real power is.
Roaring thunder, fast acceleration, tires and wheels turning, exhausts roaring, and the excitement of real horsepower will greet you as Custom Performance (TurboYourHarley.com), the company that makes fast bikes faster, The Full Throttle Saloon and Hot Bike magazine presents excitement, and a challenge, for all who love horsepower. Prove where you stand in building the highest horsepower bikes in the country. A competition where paint and chrome take a back seat to power. Categories are available for all classes of bikes. Competition and pre-qualification begins the Sat the 3rd of Aug at Sturgis bike week, and continues through Friday the 12th join us on Saturday the 13th when the finals are determined and the rubber hits the dyno, and we find out who has the horsepower to meet the challenge.
Competition will run from Sat Aug 3rd through Fri Aug 12th from noon till 8 PM. On the last day of the event Saturday the 13th competition shall run from noon till 6PM. With awards being presented on stage at the Full Throttle by Branscombe Richmond, Mike Ballard, and the staff of Hot Bike Magazine and Bikernet.com.
Trophies and prizes will be available for first through third in all classes, and will be awarded on stage at the Full Throttle Saloon Saturday night by Branscombe Richmond, star of movies and television, Mike Ballard, owner of the Full Throttle, and the editors of Hot Bike magazine and Bikernet.com.
VIPER MOTORCYCLE COMPANY ENTERS INTO PRODUCTION AGREEMENT WITH PERFORMANCE ASSEMBLY SOLUTIONS–Viper Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Viper Powersports, Inc., today announced that Performance Assembly Solutions will manufacture and assemble Viper’s proprietary motorcycles and motorcycle engines at its Livonia, Michigan manufacturing facility. Viper plans to support ongoing product design, development, marketing, and dealer service from its Minneapolis headquarters.
“We are truly excited about our relationship with Performance Assembly Solutions,” said Terry Nesbitt, president of Viper Motorcycle. “This relationship gives Viper access to a vast platform of engineering, manufacturing and machining capabilities, allowing Viper to fully satisfy the growing national demand for its motorcycles and engines. The Viper launch has been years in the making; with this relationship we are poised to enter the market with a manufacturing and assembly partner that will offer us the capacity and quality control that will enable us to fully realize the potential of our products. As an OEM, we recognize that the manufacturer/dealer relationship is crucial to our success and we place an equal value on our relationship with Performance Assembly Solutions.”
STEALTH BIKE WORKS REPORT–The pace has picked up at STEALTH BIKE WORKS. Maybe passing out all those flyers is starting to pay off. We are still getting our feet on the ground but we are making progress.
My report got lost somewhere last week. So to recap we have STEALTH BIKE WORKS t-shirts. If you are in the area stop by just to say hello. We would be glad to see you. Our address is 14113 E. Independence Blvd. Matthews N.C. 28104. Our phone # is 704-882-0889.
One thing I really like at STEALTH BIKE WORKS is that we don’t have to deal with corporate America bull shit. We keep things as simple as possible. We try not to turn the most simple things into a heart transplant. A friend of mine stopped by, I won’t use his name to protect his identity, he said” You may not make much money, but what you make will be yours.” So that is how I look at this. I never opened STEALTH BIKE WORKS with the intention of getting rich. If the money comes it does, if it does not, it doesn’t. As long as we make a living at it, that is cool with me. I opened the shop because it has always been my dream and I wanted to open a shop with heart and soul and a shop that would reflect the biker life style. If you visit the shop check out our Dave Mann wall. It is a great tribute to the MANN!
We have a few things planned at STEALTH BIKE WORKS. Our first shop ride is June 25th. We head out to the HORSE SMOKE-OUT at 12 noon. If you are in the area we would love for you to ride with us. Our grand opening is July 9th and July 24th is the 7th Annual Run For Breath “In Memory Of Justin Pullin.” The route for the run has changed as well as the location for the bike show. For info call us at the shop.
One last thought to leave you with. “Two of the most important things in life are finding out what you are good at and what makes you happy, and if GOD is smiling down on you, they are both the same! Right now GOD is smiling down on me!
Until next week, RIDE!
–STEALTHMAN
THAT?S NOT ALL–Hell, I didn’t finish reviewing all mye-mails, so the Sunday Post will be massive. Hopefully, by Monday theslate will be clean and ready for a fresh week. Here’s just a goddamnthimble full of the content we have in store for you: an in-depthhistoric story about Pancho Villa’s 1914 Indian, a much neededBattery Tech involving Aaron from Big Boar. We’ve got a couple ofbike features coming, another study of electronic ignition systems,something from Art Parry about Oil Coolers and a feature on theopening of an American Iron Horse dealer in San Diego. Oh, and we’rerunning some shot of Roland’s Sands Seminole Road House Hot Bikeseries bike next week. That’s a shot of it above.
Check out the new articles in the Cantina. I’ve also assigned PaulGarson to write an Historic piece on American Motorcycle’s 1902Heritage. We’ll find out why Branscombe Richmond picked this name toresurrect. Plus we’ll follow their growth as their limited editionline-up comes to fruition. And damn, I need to catch up with my lineof articles on my Sturgis Shovelhead. Bill Hall just welded in theCrimeSceneChoppers.com Speedster racer gas tank bung in my aluminumXR tank. I need to grind it clean and take the tank for clear powderon Monday/Tuesday. Shit, it’s Memorial weekend. Let’s barbecue.
The girls told me to forget it–no barbecues unless I cook. That’snot happening. How about Popeye’s chicken, Kentucky Fried Chickenor… We’ll have some fun either way. Hang on. Ride Forever, Bandit
