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THE STEALTH NEW YEARS REPORT– It is time to say good-bye to 2003 and say hello to 2004! I made it back from Christmas in Virginia, and I?really enjoyed the time away from work. ?2003 was a pretty good year for me personally. I got to visit California and Hollister, a place where I always wanted to say I’d been. It was really cool going to Johnny’s Bar while we were there. Las Vegas was cool too, but I wouldn’t want to live there.??
The 5th Annual Run for Breath In?”Memory of Justin Pullin” was one of the?most fun we have done. Thanks to “THE MEANEST” for all her hard work on this?event. ?She is one of the biggest reasons?the event has grown over the years. One of the highlights for?me this past year is being a contributor to Bikernet.com each week!
We all got to see the biggest party in our lifetime,?H-D’s 100th Anniversary. ?Yeah I know they blew it with Elton John, but as a whole I guess it turned out pretty cool. Also this past year we saw The Discovery Channel air all their bike build-offs and I know all of us have seen AMERICAN CHOPPER starring Orange County Choppers, and I use the word starring loosely! Whether you like the show or not, you have to admit it draws attention to our industry, unlike anything ever seen before. So?overall I think 2003 was a pretty decent year!
Now for 2004, there is a lot to look forward to! In this neck of the woods, the Easyriders show comes to Charlotte, January 24th. ?June 25th and 26th?”The Horse Backstreet Choppers” Smoke-Out” comes to Rowan County fairgrounds. If you are into?old school choppers,?don’t miss this one! Edge and all the Horse staff do a great job putting on this event.
July 25th is the?6th Annual Run For Breath. We have a couple of new wrinkles planned for this year. The invitation for “special guest and emcee” will be going out in the next few weeks. (Mr. Bandit, are you interested????)
I almost forgot, Daytona is right around the corner. THE MEANEST and I will be there again this year.
I have included a picture of a Christmas gift I got from my brother Gary. ?It is a lamp made from an old iron head sportster cylinder jug. ?I think it is pretty cool!
Last, I woul like to wish all the readers as well as Mr.?Bandit and all the crew at Bikernet headquarters a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Mike (THE STEALTH)
BILLY LANES PRE-NEW YEAR PARTY– A Lot of People Came. Plenty of Food, Drink, Music. Good People = Good Time!. I know it?s short but am up to my ass in stuff to get done before tonight’s party and tomorrow’s Annual New Years Day Ride.
Have a Good One and to all there also…
–Rogue
THEIR PHOTOS TELL THE STORY–The Army Times, a civilian newspaper that is sold mainly on military bases and thus reaches the prime wartime audience, uses eight pages of its year-end review, out now, to run photos of all those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, except 35.
I usually don’t refer to other publications, for I have enough trouble with my own. But this issue of the Army Times is so extraordinary and gives hope that it will provide some leadership in the news industry.
There were 506 killed by the time the newspaper closed last Friday. Since then, another seven have died. The newspaper has said this is the deadliest year for the U.S. military since 1972, when 640 were killed in Vietnam.
In introducing the pictures, under the headline “Faces of the Fallen,” the Army Times said: “More than 500 service members died in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom in 2003, a group that represents the full, rich face of American diversity.
“They grew up in big cities like Chicago and New York and small towns like Layton, Utah, and Cross Lanes, West Virginia. Ten were women, the youngest six 18-year-olds barely out of high school. The oldest, Army Sgt. Floyd G. Nightman Jr., was 55.
“They died at the hands of the enemy, from illnesses contracted in the war zones and the accidents that inevitably push human beings and their equipment to their limit.
“They came from all walks of life, from every race and creed. But all shared a common bond – commitment to, and pride in, serving their country in the cause of freedom.
“As the New Year dawns, we pause once to honor those who fell in 2003.”
–from Nick Roberts
BIKE FEATURE COMING TO BIKERNET–We’re about to feature this build and finished bad-assed chopper from Jesse Kilgore. First feature bike for 2004.
NORTH CAROLINA MAN PROPOSES AFTER BIKE ACCIDENT– PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. (AP) — As soon as a group of fellow bikers pulled the handlebars out of his abdomen, Brian Shipwash wanted to make sure he did one more thing in case he died from the motorcycle accident.
So he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, broken and blood-spattered, with a ring inside and asked his girlfriend, Shandra Miller, to marry him.
She said yes.
“I said, ‘Shandra, the reason we were going to Pilot Mountain today was so I could propose,'” Shipwash said Monday while recovering in his room at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
“I said something like, ‘I know this is not the best time in the world, but will you marry me?'”
Shipwash, Davidson County’s clerk of court, was riding his Harley-Davidson up Pilot Mountain on Sunday afternoon with Miller hugging his back.
As they came to the first curve after the park’s entrance, Shipwash lost control of his bike, crossed the center lane and slammed into the side of a heavy-duty pickup. The collision sent them flying.
The handlebars on Shipwash’s motorcycle stuck 6 inches into his abdomen.
“I was crying at the time because of the wreck,” Miller said Monday while sitting next to her new fiance. “But when I saw it (the ring), I just started crying even more.”
Dozens of people traveling the winding road up the mountain stopped to help. Among them were about 10 motorcyclists on Harley-Davidsons who pulled the bike off Shipwash.
“When a bunch of motorcyclists came up on it and saw one of their brethren in an accident, they all came running. It took three or four men to get the bike off him,” said Suzanne McKee of Winston-Salem, who had been hiking in the area and was driving in front of the pickup.
“That’s when he pulled out of his jacket pocket a small box and handed it to her and said, ‘Will you marry me?'” McKee said. “She said yes. Oh, everybody just kind of smiled, and we were like, ‘Oh my goodness.'”
Shipwash said he didn’t think twice about proposing while he was lying in the road, broken bones and all.
“I was on a mission, darn it, and I was going to complete the mission,” he said.
Shipwash, 32, of Lexington escaped without injuring major organs, though he broke his left hand and his right leg. He had surgery Sunday night, and was listed in good condition Tuesday. Miller, 29, of Lexington said she suffered only a sore knee.
Information from: Winston-Salem Journal
–from Rogue
I recently spoke to Senator Dave Zien who believe that this country needs more bikers, “They’re fiercely patriotic,” he said to me over the phone. This is a good example of bikerdom at work.–Bandit
Hope You all Had a Great HOLIDAY SEASON — NOW ! – It’s TIME – To Get Back To SWAP MEET SEASON!!!!!!
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ALL INFO: www.texasscooter.com – Office Phone 254-687-9066 –
Longhorn Ballroom – Day of Show ONLY: 214-428-4500
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