I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and New Years; we kept things mellow around here.
There seems to be chaos around the world as far as the weather is concerned. Snow in Texas, it rained here for days last week causing a flood outside our building. We barely could get to our cars from the front or the back, all you could do was roll your pants up to your knees and run barefoot till you made to your car. It seemed much worse since the Tsunamis happened right at the same time. We counted our blessings that the water was just surrounding us, and not sweeping us away.
I know it?s been a little stale on Bikernet, but starting next week you?ll see some new articles popping up. I worked on the ?My First Harley? episodes and made each one their own page with separate titles so you don?t have to scroll through each one to read the newest. I have two more submissions that I?ll be launching probably on Tuesday; one from Stealthman and from Johnnie Gutierrez. There?s fiction from Allan Lowson, a bike build from Lucky Devil, and more so hang on.
The news has been a little light lately, I think because lots of businesses close down for the holidays. We haven?t been getting many press releases or product launches. I don?t know about you but I?m really looking forward to next week. Kids go back to school, drywallers and framers come back from vacation and things will get back to normal around here. As my dad use to say, SNAFU ? systems-normal-all-fucked-up. That?s what we are.
Here?s the news?
HALE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS–Nominees are now being accepted for the 2005 Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame’s FREEDOM FIGHTERS HALL OF FAME.
The Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame recognizes the sacrifices individuals across the nation, and world, have made to protect the rights of those who ride. To honor these Freedom Fighters the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame established the nation’s first and only FREEDOM FIGHTERS HALL OF FAME.
You are encouraged to participate by sending the name of an outstanding Freedom Fighter from your state/province/country, along with a brief bio as to why this person deserves to be recognized. Biographical information and credentials should be no more than two pages. All nominations must be received by April 15, 2005.
Please send your nomination by mail or email to:
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame
PO Box 602
Sturgis, SD 57785
pepper@sturgismuseum.com
For further information contact Executive Director Pepper Massey-Swan, 605.347.2001
FREEDOM FIGHTERS HALL OF FAME
Arizona – Ralph “Sonny” Barger
California – NY Myke, John Paliwoda
Connecticut – Donald “Pappy” Pittsley
District of Columbia – Senator Olympia Snow, Representative Beverly Waters,Tom Wyld
Colorado – Mark Buckner
Florida – Doc Reichenbach
Indiana – Michael Farabaugh
Illinois – Todd Vandermyde
Iowa – Dick “Slider” Gilmore
Kentucky – Jay Huber
Michigan – Angel Burton-Ristau, Representative James BarciaMinnesota – Governor Arnie Carlson, Bob Illingworth, John Sullivan, Bob Summer,Representative Tom Workman
Montana – Glen Fengstad
New Mexico – Dennis “Big D” Watson
North Carolina – Rick Nail
Ohio – Bill Bish
Oregon – Butch Harbaugh
South Carolina – Jesse McDugald
Pennsylvania – Rick Gray
Texas – Sputnik Washington – Swede Matzek
Wisconsin – Wayne Curtin, Senator Dave Zien, Tony “Pan” Sanfelipo, Sue Menard,
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, Buck Kittredge
England – Fred Hill, Ian Mutch
AFRICAN BIKE TOURS–Hey there Bandit,I hope that you experienced a restful festive break!Long time since I wrote to you…anyway, my wife and I are in the process of launching a bike touring gig in South Africa, using twin cams mostly, which are being provided for this purpose. What I really need to know, in the interests of stronger business-who in the States would love to come out here to ride around this glorious country on H-D’s and what would it take to lure these folk to do just that?We are going to offer a comprehensive service that includes medical back-up, chase vehicles, professionally plotted routes touching on places of interest with B-plan excursions, and…you get the picture.
I would appreciate anything you may be able to pass my way.
May you go from strength to stronger!
Kindest regards,
Ari de Beer. ( Cape Town, South Africa ).
NEWS FROM WHITEHORSE PRESS– We’re pleased to announce publication on February 1, 2005 of the American Motorcyclist Association’s new book:
RIDE GUIDE TO AMERICA: FAVORITE MOTORCYCLE TOURS IN THE USAhttp://www.whitehorsepress.com/email.php?cn=52&en=en0501&id=amagand to offer a special pre-publication price of $19.95 if you order your copy now. This is a $5.00 savings off the regular $24.95 price, and is available until publication on February 1st.
The new “Ride Guide to America,” edited by the AMA’s Greg Harrison, features more than 35 handpicked trips across the United States, all brought to life with full-color photos, maps, and descriptive narrative of the attractions along the way. Written by popular travel motojournalists Clement Salvadori, Greg Frazier, Bill Kresnak, Lance Oliver, Grant Parsons, Marty Berke, Dale Coyner, Neal Davis, and Bruce Hansen, it brings together in one book their favorite rides in the USA. You’ll want this book to help plan your motorcycle travels — for this year and many beyond.
See for yourself. Reserve your copy of this book now at the special $19.95 price. Then, get on the road and see the best of this wonderful country of ours.
Whitehorse Press
107 East Conway Road
Center Conway, NH 03813-4012
603-356-6556
BLACK OAK ARKANSAS READY TO ROCK–Jim Dandy & Black Oak Arkansas are looking to fill tour dates for 2005!It’s time to get Hot ‘n’ Nasty!!!
Jim or Rickiemailto:rlreynolds333@bellsouth.
901-276-1973
Georgemailto:ggumbo@ipa.net
479-783-0094
S&S Cycle and American Iron Magazine introduce Old School Shovel Tour.–VIOLA, WI (January 4, 2005) All S&S customers are invited to the Broken Spoke Saloon in Daytona Beach, FL on Wednesday, March 9, at 9 p.m., for the start of the S&S/American Iron Old School Shovel Tour. Five builders have been chosen to create five unique and affordable customs based on the new S&S 93″, alternator/generator, shovelhead-style engine. All five builders, and their bikes, will be full features in upcoming American Iron Magazine issues.
The builders are Kevin Alsop of Big Bear Choppers, Big Mike of BMC Choppers, Chica of Chica Customs, Jesse Rooke of Jesse Rooke Customs, and the Indian Larry Legacy, which consists of Paul Cox and Keino. The bikes can be built anyway the builders want, however, they must all conform to the following rules:
Bike must have functional kick-starter.
Bike must have a retail parts price of no more than $20,000. This does not include labor or paint. A build list must be presented so a customer could buy the complete package.
Engine must be installed in the bike “as is”, using all of the original S&S parts, unmodified.
Builders can make the bikes any way they like, but they have to ride them approximately 130 miles from the Akey School in Twin Bluffs, Wisconsin, to the Tri-State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa, on July 9, 2005.
The S&S/American Iron Old School Shovel Tour, including the five bikes and builders, will be displayed at every stop on the S&S ’05 Show Tour (Check out the S&S web site Event Calendar for details) including the Tri-State Raceway in Earlville, Iowa, on Saturday, July 9, 2005 (rain date July 16, 2005) following the “shakedown ride” as well as the Broken Spoke Saloon on Wednesday, August 10, at 9 p.m., in Sturgis during Bike Week. Be there!
Shovels Rule!
S&S Cycle has been a leading manufacturer of Proven Performance V-Twin motorcycle components and engines for over 45 years. George Smith and Stanley Stankos founded the company in 1958 in Blue Island, Illinois. Shortly after the founding of S&S, George, and his wife Marjorie (whose maiden name was also Smith), bought out Stanley Stankos and Smith & Stankos became Smith & Smith (S&S). In 1969, S&S moved from Blue Island to Viola, Wisconsin and expanded to La Crosse, Wisconsin in 2004. This 3rd generation business supplies components and/or engines to several large custom OEs including: American Ironhorse, Arlen Ness, Big Bear Choppers, Big Dog, BMC, Bourget Bike Works, Hellbound Steel, Swift, Titan, Ultra, Vengeance, & Victory (please see the S&S website for a complete listing).
JOANN ?CRAZYHORSE? REPORT–Yeah, I been MIA for a while, but like they say, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” And this pro has had to take a break. One of my favorite books is Hunter Thompson’s classic ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” I’ve never been to Vegas and when the opportunity came up for me to display my little gooseneck hardtail at the NACE trade show in Vegas in Nov, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. NACE was happening at the same time as the SEMA trade show. For those who have never heard of SEMA, it is the largest (or seems like it) vehicle trade show on the planet, with manufacturers displaying their latest products. There’s everything from wheels to paint to engines, hell the wheel and tire building could take a whole day to go through.
TLC’s show “Overhaulin'” was even filming a live show in front of an audience of anyone who wanted to watch. For any gearhead, it was serious eye candy in every direction. It also meant that nearly everyone in the custom business was in town. I met up and hung out with guys like True-Fire flame artist Mike Lavelle, the legendary street rod painter Art Himsl, larger than life but so down to earth Tom Pruett who slapped some serious paint on Monster Garage, my old friend Jon Kosmoski from House of Kolor, and many other total legendary talents like Craig Fraser and Bob Bonds. One night I was walking down The Strip and ran into extreme customizers Bob Soroka and George Fulesi of Detriot’s Kustom Haus. And when you stick that many creative and imaginative people in a cartoon town like Vegas, crazy stuff is gonna happen.
One night I hung out with Simon Murray, extreme airbrush artist from Ireland and Nub who does the paintwork for OCC.Looking back at the whole week- I doubt Hunter Thompson could have plotted a more twisted adventure. From my run-in with the Coroner to hanging on the set of Overhaulin’ to the total decadence of the Island Lounge at Mandalay Bay to the drama at the Hard Rock, I may never recover. I’m serious- and I wasn’t even drinking hard and I got into all kinds of trouble.
One thing of particular interest was the fact the Zero Engineering- the wicked chopper builders out of Japan, have a shop in Vegas and on one insane afternoon, I went there and shot pics of 3 of the most evil rides I have ever seen.
To make this trip even more nuts, I trailered my bike out there-alone. Instead of trusting the love of my life to some trucking company I drove 2300 across the country and that in itself was worth it. I saw surreal sunsets and sunrises over the prairie. I saw the incredible Petrified Forest and the Meteor Crater and viewed scenery that looks to be not of this world. I went from the hot plains to snow covered mountains in 3 hours. I saw crazy chopper freaks in Albuquerque doing wicked stunts on the interstate at 1 am. I drove across the plains of Texas singing sad songs after it was all over.
Upon hearing my tale a few weeks later at the CBA swap meet, my friend Steve said, “You need to write a book about it. Fictionize it a bit, but that is one twisted tale.” So I may just do that. Of course I can never tell the whole story, the real story. The old saying, “What happens in Vegas- Stays in Vegas,” seems quite appropriate after losing my Vegas virginity. It’s been sorta of a struggle going back to my real life after that trip. Like that insurance commercial about how life comes at you fast. In Vegas, everything seemed to be in slow motion, like watching a train wreck and being powerless to look away.
I will have a full report written up on my trip to Zero Engineering for The Horse and a bit about the trip itself. As for the rest, I’ll leave the secrets where they lie. Where they will lurk until next year’s SEMA show. Cool cars, trucks and bikes, the most extreme paint I’ve ever seen, and drama up the ying yang- I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.
I did get to do some riding this new year. Actually took the old sporty out New Years Day. The weather here in the Carolinas was unreal, nearly 70. I pulled over to take a break at this ancient gas station and it seemed like bikes were going by every 5 minutes. It was as if everyone with a bike in the Carolinas was out there. There were even a few pretty large packs of bikes going by.
But my main focus has been working on my new book and getting 3 bikes ready for the Easyriders Show here in Charlotte in 3 weeks. It will be a 2 day show this year. After the V Twin Expo in Cincinnati will be cranked up. I’ll probably be there as my publisher will be displaying my first book. Hope to run into a bunch of old friends there. But all I can say is that 2005 looks to be a very twisted year for me, brutal bikes going together, evil paint ideas brewing and who knows what else. All I know is by the time Bike Week rolls around, I will be very ready for a long break, hanging with Goth Girl and Sammy Morgan at the Wall of Death. Bummer part is Larry won’t be there this time. No, I take that back. His spirit will always be alive at The Wall.
Crazy Horse
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