Hey,
This happens every year. I start with a pared down goals short list for the next year, like I’m going to kick back and ride more. Then shit starts to pile up or float to the surface. Opportunities arise and doors open.
For instance, one of my mom’s best friends, Nancy Davis, told me about a book notion and I was intrigued. The more I was around her, the more her ideas popped to the surface. I’m sorta like that. I always have or will find a positive solution.
Here’s the list as it stands for 2018. In January I’m headed to Carson City, Nevada to pick up the Salt Torpedo from the Paughco Factory. I’m going to reconfigure my shop and build a custom lift to hold this puppy while we prepare it for the Salt in September at the International Motorcycle Speed Trials. I hope Bikernet can be a media sponsor for this year.
The work will be hot and heavy in the shop this year. I’m also going to finish my little motorcycle screenplay and give it to someone, anyone who might make a movie out of it. I’m also working with Kellie Fish to maybe get one of my other books made into a film. We’ll see.
We are going to change up the Bikernet landing page some and keep the content and techs flowing.
With the help of Tony Spinalli I’m going to complete my first bronze sculpture for the annual Hamster Charity effort and hopefully part of the proceeds will go to the Rapid City Children’s Hospital and part to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Hang on for more reports on this effort.
I hope that’s it. It won’t be dull, that’s for sure.
The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown and BorntoRide.com, Sturgis Museum. And the Smoke Out.
I’VE BEEN DEALING WITH THE VA AND DAV FOR A FEW YEARS— Trying to get someone to review my appeal. I did three tours in Vietnam. Just recently the DAV called me. I think, after four years I’m close and I hope the DAV did what they said they did, so I’m supporting them.
Your end of year gift will:
PROVIDE FREE SUPPORT: DAV provides a lifetime of support and services to veterans and caregivers at no cost as they transition back to civilian life
GET HEROES HIRED: Assist veterans with meaningful employment through career fairs
PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS: DAV’s Transportation Network volunteers travel millions of miles throughout the country to transport veterans to and from their VA medical appointments
PROVIDE DISASTER RELIEF: DAV deploys to areas devastated by natural disasters to help veterans get back on their feet and rebuild their lives
Celebrate New Year’s at the ACE CAFÉ ORLANDO. Sunday, Dec 31–
No New Year’s plans (yet), no problem! We’ve got a special 3-course menu starting at $18. No reservations or fancy dress required. See the full menu here.
Already have plans? Nice! Pre-party with our happy hour drink specials
$3 domestic beers (+$2 off all other drafts), $4 house wine, $4 select mixed drinks, $5 Monkey Shoulder scotch
*happy hour available all day, 12/31
New Year’s Day Car Show
Jan 1 | 11-2pm
See the best classic and muscle cars in Central Florida at the Ace New Year’s Day Car Show. Music by DJ Don from Cruisin Orlando plus tickets giveaways to the Kissimmee Mecum Auto Auction. Free event and open to all show cars.
New Year’s Day Revival Brunch Buffet
Jan 1 | 11-2pm
Cure what ails you after a long night ringing in the new year with our New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet.
Adults: $19.95, Kids $12
+$12 bottomless mimosas & bloody marys
Bundled deal: $29.95
adult brunch + bottomless mimosas & bloody marys
See full brunch buffet menu. Limited lunch menu also available.
AEROSTICH ULTIMATE 2018 MOTORCYCLE CALENDAR– Custom Motorcycles 2018 Calendar
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TAX BILL— I’ve read the same bullshit in the media forever, way before Trump came along. Every time someone says they are going to do something about taxes we hear the same lines about the rich getting all the benefits.
I don’t get it. What the hell can be wrong about any tax break? It only makes the government more responsible and maybe a couple of people who get shit for free and never worked will get a job. Amazing, right!
We pay income taxes, property taxes, inheritance taxes, sales tax, taxes on fuel, taxes on liquor, marijuana taxes now, cigarette taxes, you name it. In LA there’s a new tax for the homeless. They are creating special services for the folks who break into your cars to steal shit, mostly for drugs and alcohol. And it’s a bad thing to get a tax break?
Every government agency wants more power and bigger budgets every year. When can the citizens who pay the taxes have the same rights? It’s a game, so I’m proud of the folks who fought for this. Hopefully, they will continue to fight for us.
–Bandit
Biketoberfest Motorcycle Profiling Video Sparks Investigation & Retraining–
While attending the 2017 Biketoberfest rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, members of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club (IHMC) were the target of blatant profiling and discrimination at the hands of the Daytona Beach PD. The incident, caught on videotape as a result of quick thinking, is irrefutable.
The impact on civil liberties motivated the combined efforts of the North Florida Council of Clubs (NFLCOC), the National Council of Clubs (NCOC), and the Motorcycle Profiling Project (MPP) to immediately respond with a formal complaint and public record requests. These inquiries, based on the video, have sparked an investigation into the actions of the officers involved and a review of Daytona PD policies regarding motorcycle clubs, says a source inside of Chief Craig Capri’s office.
Already, as a result of the State Attorney’s inquiry, a curriculum is being constructed and all Daytona PD officers will be re- trained relating to motorcycle profiling. Activism works.
The Story Captured On Video
On October 20th, 2017, members of the IHMC, while walking down the street doing absolutely nothing wrong, were stopped and surrounded by Daytona PD officers and asked to produce identification. Why? Video captured by the IHMC reveals that the seizure and demand for identification was based solely on individuals wearing colors identifying membership in a 1% motorcycle club. In fact, Daytona PD officers explain on video that stopping and documenting motorcycle club members is standard department policy.
A member of the IHMC, exercising his constitutional right to film police in public, captured the entire event on video. Video can be irrefutable proof of wrongdoing in a case of motorcycle profiling. The video also served as the foundation for a successful complaint that is triggering review from within as well as by the state’s attorney.
This is not the first time that the Daytona Beach PD has been caught on videotape further establishing a clear pattern of motorcycle profiling. Video from earlier in 2017 captures DPD Chief Capri confirming that if you wear a patch in Daytona Beach you will get pulled over. These videos prove that the issue of motorcycle profiling is systemic in Daytona Beach, even reaching the highest law enforcement office, the Chief of Police.
The COC Takes Action: Video Triggers DA Review of Daytona Beach PD
After reviewing the video provided by the IHMC to the MPP, Daytona Beach resident and patch holder Bobby Colella was in a unique position to combine the efforts of three entities focused on the same goal. Colella is a member of the NFLCOC, member of the NCOC PR Committee, and an MPP contributing author.
Colella immediately drafted a complaint and sent it to the DPD Police Chief Craig Capri and Mayor Henry by email on 10/24/2017 and by certified mail on 11/03/2017. Colella followed the complaint with a public records request asking for any department policies related to motorcycle clubs or profiling and any records related to the event. Eventually he received a response from the DPD. Colella writes:
“On 11/15/2017 I received a phone call from Jessica Wolfflesnider, executive assistant to Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) Chief Craig Capri. Wolfflesnider stated that the video has been submitted to the Florida State Attorney’s office for review. Wolfelsneider also stated there has been an officer (Lt. McBride) assigned to internally review the video and work with the DA’s office throughout the review process.”
“Wolfflesnider stated that dependent on the findings of the state attorney, there could be several actions that occur, to include the officers being reprimanded and additional training being mandated for the officers involved in the 20 October incident, and possible adjustments to the department’s policies.”
On December 18, 2017 Colella received an update from the DBPD. Colella writes:
“Wolfflesnider reports that, in response to the video captured at Biktoberfest, the DBPD Training Department is now working in conjunction with the Florida State Attorney’s office to develop a curriculum to retrain all officers in the department.”
“Wolfflesnider also reported that there is an ongoing investigation being conducted by internal affairs relating specifically to the officers involved in an incident that occurred on October 20, 2017, captured on video by a member of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club.”
Activism Works
This incident is a textbook example of how an effective grassroots movement can handle an incident of motorcycle profiling that occurs in the motorcycle club community.
First, the IHMC, from the beginning, made sure to capture the incident on video. The video is the critical piece of evidence referenced in all further developments.
Second, the video was released through grassroots media like the MPP and shared on social media, which resulted in thousands being exposed. Web media and social networking provides an alternative mechanism to communicate an effective message that is not reliant on traditional news media outlets.
Third, the Florida and National Council of Clubs utilized the video as the foundation for a complaint to the Daytona PD which has triggered an inquiry that has resulted in re- training an entire department and could result in reprimand and/or reform for officers caught profiling on the video.
It’s easy to say that things can’t be fixed or that profiling comes with the territory and has always been a problem for bikers. But fighting back using the democratic process and media that isn’t controlled by monetary motivations can help reduce profiling and secure the freedoms all people should enjoy.
The MPP will report any developments or updates.
AUSTRALIAN SHOW ACTION– I see your site still powering away, looks great. Our show is still going, new poster attached, numbers dwindling a little last couple of years, suffering a bit of competition from other events around the same time…so we’ve just got to try and make it interesting for more people we guess…All the best for the holiday season.
–Dean
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT VOCABULARY LESSON FOR THE HOLIDAYS–
adjective
QUOTES
He is a mighty mass of pinguid bronze, with a fat lisp, and a broad sunflower smile, and he lectures us with a vast and genial breadth of manner on the ruins, contradicting all our guesses at things with a sweet “Perdoni, signori! ma—.”
ORIGIN
The Latin adjective pinguis means “fat, fertile, plump, in good condition” and by extension “heavy, dull, gross, stupid.” The English adjective pinguid may derive from Medieval Latin pinguidus (with the same meaning as pinguis), or it may derive from pingu- (the stem of pinguis) and the suffix -id, as in fetid, humid, and pallid. Pinguid entered English in the 17th century.
WOMEN’S REVENGE– ‘Cash, check or charge?’ I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
‘So, do you always carry your TV remote?’ I asked. …
‘No,’ she replied, ‘but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.’
WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, ‘Relatives of yours?’
‘Yep,’ the wife replied, ‘in-laws’
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day.. 30,000 to a man’s 15,000.
The wife replied, ‘The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men….
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, ‘What?’
CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, ‘I don’t know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
‘The wife responded, ‘Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, ‘You should do it because you get up first, and then we don’t have to wait as long to get our coffee.
The husband said, ‘You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.’
Wife replies, ‘No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee.’
Husband replies, ‘I can’t believe that, show me.’
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says ‘HEBREWS’
The Silent Treatment
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, ‘Please wake me at 5:00 AM. He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight.
Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, ‘It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.’
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests
God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.
haha
–from Rogue
[page break]
Bikers for Trump rolls on into political sphere– The wild ride of Bikers for Trump is just getting started.
A year after President Trump’s historic upset victory, the grass-roots biker movement he inspired has become a bona fide political organization that is boosting Republican candidates across the country and making inroads in unexpected places, such as in Amish and Mennonite communities.
That’s right — Amish families are showing up in their horse-drawn buggies at Bikers for Trump rallies staged in barns in rural Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Chris Cox, the founder and leader of Bikers for Trump, said the Amish already had an affinity for the leather-and-chrome crowd.
“The biker is trusted because of the work that they do in raising money for veterans and Toys for Tots and fighting domestic violence and child abuse,” he said. “So we’ve really got a much bigger reach and platform than I ever imagined.”
Indeed, the group that early on acted as unofficial security at Trump rallies — the “wall of meat” separating protesters and supporters — now is an organizing tool that is in demand for House, Senate and governors races.
“I’m getting five calls a week from people who are running around the country that are trying to get us to come on and endorse them. The phone rings off the hook,” Mr. Cox said. “It’s bizarre that they see us as being so influential. It makes you step back a minute.”
The group coalesced during the presidential race as Mr. Trump’s message resonated with various biker communities, uniting blue-collar workers, veterans and evangelicals such as the Bikers for Christ organization.
It was an easy marriage of people who shared enthusiasm for motorcycles and the outsider presidential candidate who was shaking up American politics.
The seeds of Bikers for Trump were planted during the government shutdown in 2013, when President Obama closed down open-air memorials in Washington.
Dubbed the “Lawn Mower Man,” Mr. Cox became a TV news celebrity. He said the experience taught him how to harness the power of the news media for political activism.
He spent two years walking the halls of Congress in support of a bill that would keep open-air memorials accessible during government shutdowns.
“I went to so many congressional offices, and I saw how the establishment pandered to the herd and the herd held party lines,” he said. “Then when Donald Trump came along and was outside the establishment, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to change the direction of the country.”
After seeing his first Trump rally while at an art show near Ocean City, Maryland, Mr. Cox began testing the level of support among bikers. Bikers for Trump quickly took shape.
Mr. Cox expected Bikers for Trump would go into hibernation after Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January. He planned to return to his work as an artist carving logs into cigar store Indians, dolphins, sea turtles, bears and other animals.
The Bikers for Trump movement had other plans.
Since then, Bikers for Trump has been involved in most of the major political races this year.
“It was like a political science experiment to see if the bikers could have an influence on state politics the way they did in the presidential race,” Mr. Cox said.
The bikers helped turn out the vote when Republican Karen Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff in the June 20 special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, filling the seat vacated when Tom Price became secretary of Health and Human Services.
They showed up to help Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor’s race but were politely refused by the candidate, who ultimately lost to Democrat Ralph Northam.
Now the bikers are supporting Rep. James B. Renacci, a Republican running for governor in Ohio. It was a natural alliance. Mr. Renacci has an ownership stake in three Harley-Davidson dealerships in the Buckeye Sate.
They also are working with Kelly Ward, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
Bikers for Trump has about 80,000 active members and 400,000 followers on social media. It is run by roughly 50 full-time volunteers and 100 part-time volunteers.
Michael Glassner, executive director of the Trump re-election campaign, said he expects to see a lot more of Bikers for Trump.
“Members are bound by their love for the open road, freedom, and the promise of a greater America under President Trump’s leadership,” he said. “They are one of the more diverse coalitions because they come from all walks of life, including war veterans, Christians, manufacturing workers and corporate CEOs.
“They will make a big difference once again in 2020 because of their true grit and their unflinching devotion to our movement to make America great again.”
–By S.A. Miller – The Washington Times
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/dec/25/bikers-trump-rallies-republicans-help-presidents-a/
–from Rogue
KEEP UP THE FINE WORK
— HARRY LYNN MASON
SEBRING, FLA
RIDING FREE FROM DC:
Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway
Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session.
NEWS FROM THE HILL – An Uptick in Support for Profiling, Plus A National Bill on Distracted Driving
In the last couple of weeks our congressional support for the anti-profiling resolution has amplified. Kudos go to Illinois specifically who helped to add not one, but two new co-sponsors to H.Res.318. Rep. Cheri Bustos and Rep. Rodney Davis have each signed on. Rep. Jimmy Panetta from California also lent his name, growing our co-sponsor list to 23 names – 13 Republicans and 9 Democrats.
This is important to have both parties support the measure; we want this viewed as a bipartisan issue. Have you contacted your Member of Congress and Senators to ask for co-sponsorship? Now’s the time before Congress adjourns for the year!
We need to add more supporters in order for the measure to be considered for a vote! Check out our webpage to send an automated email to your elected officials, review the full list of sponsors as well as other bills the MRF is watching: http://mrf.org/federal-legislative-issues/ Don’t know who your Congressperson is? Our webpage can help you find that too under “Find Your Elected Officials” Just enter your zip code to get started.
Well its about damn time…. New York Democrat Kathleen Rice dropped a bill last week, which would establish a grant program aimed towards ending distracted driving. The bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue grants to non profit organizations which would in turn be used to educate the public about the stupid sh*t you shouldn’t do while driving…i.e. texting… taking selfies… facetiming…. snapchatting… shaving… putting on makeup… and Lord knows what else.
The amount allotted towards the grant program would be a cool $5 million. And yes, if your MRO has a project they are working on that would educate about the impact of distracted driving on riders, and then they could qualify IF this bill passes. I’ll stop by Rep. Rice’s office before the end of the year and offer up our support. The bill number is H.R.4542 if you want to track it yourself and currently only has 1 other co-sponsor. I think we should fix that.
EXECUTIVE & REGULATORY UPDATES – Trump Wants to Make A Deal…on Ethanol PLUS January Plans for Infrastructure Package
On Wednesday I learned that the White House hosted a meeting this week bringing together the oil industry, ethanol producers and Senate staffers in an effort to strike a deal on ethanol.
Its not clear yet what the outcome is – I’m told that it was a preliminary meeting and that the eventual goal is to strike a grand bargain to fix the Renewable Fuel Standard which governs the amount of ethanol in the nation’s gasoline supply.
Who was in attendance? I’m told aides from the pro-ethanol camp Sens. Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst and Deb Fischer were there for the corn-state contingent, while staffers for Sens. Ted Cruz and Pat Toomey made the case for refiners.
Staff from EPA, the Department of Agriculture and the National Economic Council also joined. But truly though, the skeptic in me asks if there even CAN be a bargain…grand or petite.
Ethanol producers have been deeply skeptical of any kind of deal to be made with the oil industry, which they feel wants to squeeze them out of the fuel market entirely. Nonetheless, we are watching closely and making sure motorcycles and others concerned over the effects of ethanol in their engines are being heard.
Media reports leaked this week that President Trump’s long-awaited $1 trillion infrastructure plan is likely to be released in January. This was a big angle of his Presidential campaign and frankly, one that has me sitting up and paying attention.
Why? Well, not only do things like roads and bridges affect riders, but importantly, big packages like this are where the safety-crats try and stick in language complimenting their divisive political agendas.
We need to watch judiciously to make sure our rights aren’t infringed upon…I’ll be reviewing carefully when the proposal is released. Word is that we should see it prior to the State of the Union Address on January 30 and its likely to be in the form of principles that will need to be molded into legislation. Stay tuned early next year for more on this.
STATE NEWS – Movement on Autocycle Definition in Arizona
News from my home state this week – riders in Arizona have been working with officials in the state to address autocycles and the importance of differentiating these from motorcycles. Bobbi Hartman of the Modified Motorcycle Association of AZ conducted research and outreach to the Arizona Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety as well as law enforcement agencies and the state DoT to garner support.
Ultimately, Arizona will now add a new category of “autocycle” to the list of choices for body style for crash and fatality data and will begin to separate data in the state’s “Crash Facts” report next year which will be published in June 2019.
Great work to everyone in Arizona who helped with this. If your state has or is considering addressing autocycles in legislation or regulation, let your MRF know how it can help. We can supply research, model language and help connect you to other states who got it right!
MRF NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Things in Washington are starting to slow down as we approach the holiday season. Congress is likely to recess next week, which means this will be your last weekly update until the new year when Congress starts back up again in January.
With the end of the year, its always a good time to reflect on what we achieved this year on behalf of riders and use this to help mold our agenda and strategies for the next. If you haven’t yet, check out the MRF’s 2017 Year End Report which details all the highlights from this year and all we accomplished together. You can find the report by clicking here: https://mrf.org/accomplishments/
Another thing that’s good to do at the end of the year? Connect with friends and even former rivals. And that’s what I did this week.
If you follow us on Facebook, you may have already seen my newest unofficial initiative. Together with Harley-Davidson, we decided on hosting friendly monthly lunches with the motorcycle lobby community here in D.C. That includes myself as well as reps from Harley-Davidson, the American Motorcyclist Association and the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Though we may not agree on everything, there is certainly enough that we can work on together and its important to put the past aside, and move forward. In 2018 I’d like to usher in a new era where we let the past stay where it belongs; behind us! I invite you to join me – let’s let bygones be bygones and put our differences aside in the new year and spend our energy working together. Like I always say, work smarter, not harder.
To our MRF members and riders everywhere, Merry Christmas and a very, very happy New Year.
RIDE FREE –
Megan Ekstrom
Vice-President of Government Affairs & Public Relations
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation
IT’S A SPIRITUAL TIME TO KEEP THE BIKERNET BAD JOKE LIBRARY WIDE OPEN– Some Light Dublin Traffic Humor
A car full of Irish nuns are sitting at a traffic light in downtown Dublin when a bunch of rowdy drunks pull up alongside of them.
“Hey, show us yer teats, ya bloody penguins,” shouts one of the drunks.
Quite shocked, Mother Superior turns to Sister Mary Immaculata and says, “I don’t think they know who we are; show them your cross.”
Sister Mary Immaculata rolls down her window and shouts, “Piss off, ya fookin’ little wankers, before I come over there and rip yer balls off.”
She then rolls up her window, looks back at Mother Superior quite innocently, and asks, “Did that sound cross enough?”
–El Waggs
THE LOWBROW RESOLUTION– New Year’s is always a time to pause a reflect on the past year and the year to come. This look back at the Lowbrow Getdown chopper campout is a fun way to do both.
This annual (since 2010) shindig happens outside of Cleveland, Ohio in July. Be sure to come out and join us in 2018, more details to follow early in the new year.
Now through New Year’s Eve get an extra 40% off of all sale items (148 motorcycle parts, riding gear or accessories from 27 different moto brands). Really crazy low pricing on tons of quality items, check it out, the best stuff will sell out quick!
THE FAMOUS UNCLE MONKEY 2018 PREDICTION– A new year, a new beginning.
I can wax on about finding balance within, finding balance in your life but truth be told after all these years you have yet to make change, yet to start down that road you promised you would take all those years ago.
That is because life is what happens while you’re busy make plans, dreaming about a better life, about a better you. We’re all guilty of it. Guilty of thinking that we are too old, too set in our ways to make change.
Life is never what we expect. There is no certificate in the mail saying that we are finally adults, that we finally had all the knowledge and wisdom to make the right choices. We make daily choices with what information we have. Sometimes it works out, sometimes we are left packing our bags, sometimes we’re left clutching cold steel bars for 8 to 10 years on the inside.
So instead of making promises that you know you’ll never keep accept where you are in life. Accept the good along with the bad. Accept that there will never be enough time, never enough money, accept that though that has always been the case you have made progress; you have made changes to your life. You built a few bikes, built a life, built a family. So raise a glass to the success you are, and toast to the person you will one day be.
-bad Uncle Monkey
Darwin sez: learn from it, build character and live to see another day that you can enjoy. But only after you …
Embrace The Suck!
This is classic – LMAO
–Andreas Dudda
[page break]
HOLIDAY DEAL FROM LIFESTYLE CYCLES– 2013 Harley-Davidson FXDB – Dyna Street Bob
#10397
$11,699
Featuring the 96-inch Harley-Davidson Twin Cam motor and 6-speed transmission with Electronic Sequential Port fuel Injection.
Front suspension is 49mm with Dual Rate Springs and rear coil over shock suspension. A 4.7 gallon fuel tank is mounted atop the backbone of this machine. Blacked out Triple Trees, Forks and rims add to the beauty of this ride. The saddle is a solo seat with a detachable passenger pad.
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT INCLUDE:
Chrome Pull Back bars with chrome grips give you control of this machine. Chrome saddle bag rails are installed to accommodate your choice of throw over saddle bags. Forward controls allow for a taller rider or just that stretched out ride. A New front tire has been mounted with a “LIKE New” rear tire give you plenty of miles before you have to worry about the rubber on the road!
Fill out a Lifestyle Cycles online credit app today and be riding it this weekend!
EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!
ONLY AT LIFESTYLE CYCLES IN ANAHEIM OR CALL US AT 714-490-0155
STAFF MEMBER COMMENT–
But the wheels of change never stop. All of us rode horses and only the super-rich had Ford Model Cars. Now every idiot has a car and only the super-rich own Horses.
Harley-Davidson markets itself in Asia as a “premium” vehicle for the super-rich and famous. Only celebrities and billionaire businessmen can afford it anyways because of the custom duty on imported vehicles made in USA.
This is a losing game. Their strategy should be to again be the people’s champion, the people’s transport. Instead we have snob-nosed rich a-holes who ride Harleys and Indians from their garage to the nearest Starbucks on Sundays and drive their Audi and BMW cars the rest of the week.
— Ujjwal Dey
www.BikernetTrikes.com
wayfarer@bikernet.com
SMOKEOUT 2018 COMING– Rollin Karoll mentioned his SmokeOut memories.
It’s a toss up, either the ride with Michael Lichter, Keith Ball and Jeff Najer to Wheels Through Time and the long road campground or the ride back with Bosley to the SO. Beautiful country roads, great weather, and a great party at the SO.
–Rollin Karoll
The SmokeOut annually is made up of many events, from cross-country rides, Long Roads, drag racing, painted ladies and so much more. Hang on for more reports as we roll into 2018.–Bandit
VA UPDATE– No more checks for travel pay
Veterans will not be able to receive paper checks for their travel pay after Dec. 31.
By Ed Drohan
Veterans who receive a paper check from the Treasury Department for their travel pay will no longer have that option after Dec. 31.
After that date, payments for travel pay will only be made through direct deposit to a Veteran’s bank account or through a debit card issued to the Veteran. Direct deposit can be made to either a checking or savings account.
Veterans can be reimbursed for their travel to VA or VA-paid medical appointments under certain conditions. Those include if the Veteran:
· is receiving a VA pension, Aid and Attendance, or a household pension;
· has a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more;
· has a service-connected disability rating of zero to 20 percent but is being treated for their service-connected disability;
· is traveling to a scheduled Compensation and Pension (C&P) examination; or
· has annual income that falls below the income threshold.
Most other government agencies moved away from issuing paper checks in 2013, but the VA was given a waiver that expires on Dec. 31 and won’t be renewed, said James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Accounting Technician Supervisor Lisa Duffey. She said receiving electronic payments has several benefits for Veterans, including being more secure than carrying cash and getting faster payments.
“If they have an appointment today and travel gives us the paperwork tomorrow, it will be in their account two days later,” Duffey said. “By check, if travel gives it to us today, Treasury would not even send out the check until Monday (four days), and then it takes seven to 10 days from that to get there. Then if it gets lost in the mail or they don’t get it, we have to do a check tracer and that takes anywhere from four to eight weeks to get an answer back.”
The Direct Express debit can be used just like any other debit card at any establishment that accepts MasterCard. The Veteran will establish a personalized PIN that can also be used to withdraw cash from automated teller machines.
The form is available online at https://www.tampa.va.gov/patients/index.asp.
If the Veterans can electronically sign the form, it can be forwarded directly to Duffey at Lisa.Duffey@va.gov. Printed and hand-signed forms can be dropped off at the agent cashier in the main hospital or mailed to:
Veterans who have questions about requesting direct deposit or a Direct Express debit card can call the accounting technicians at 813-972-2000, extensions 7599, 5844, 6296, 6030 or 4220. For questions about travel pay eligibility, please call Jonathan Esteban at extension 5881.
For more information about the Direct Express debit card, go to: https://fiscal.treasury.gov/GoDirect/social-security-federal-benefits-direct-deposit/directexpress/index.html.
–from Rogue
BIKERNET HEALTH WARNING: NEVER STEP ON A BUFFALO CHIP—
11th ANNUAL LEGENDS RIDE!
Presented by GEICO Motorcycle
PAUL TEUTUL JR.
will lead the pack of
HOLLYWOOD, MUSIC AND MOTORCYCLE CELEBRITIES
GET FREE PREMIUM UPGRADES
If you’re in the first 60 to reserve!
Monday, Aug. 6, 2018
The 5 Star Legends Ride Upgrade includes:
Veranda Access at the Silverado-Franklin Hotel
Complimentary Refreshments
Priority Ride Placement
Preferred Parking
You must reserve before Jan. 19, 2018 at 5 p.m. MST
LEARN MORE
RESERVE NOW
LYNYRD SKYNYRD CONCERT ALSO INCLUDED WITH FIRST 200 RESERVATIONS
THE FUN DOESN’T STOP THERE!
—–ANNOUNCING THE—–
10th ANNUAL BIKER BELLES CELEBRATION!
LAURA KLOCK & KARLEE COBB
will return to captain The Morning Ride!
The historic 10-year anniversary of this celebration offers opportunities to
SHARE STORIES
GAIN INSPIRATION
PAMPER YOURSELF
GET FREE PREMIUM UPGRADES
If you’re in the first 30 to reserve!
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018
The 5-Star Biker Belles Upgrade includes:
Premium, reserved seating at the symposium and luncheon
High-resolution download of the 2018 group photo
Sponsor welcome gift
You must reserve before Jan. 19, 2018 at 5 p.m. MST
WISDOM FROM THE GRAY MOUNTAIN–
“It is not what you give that benefits the receiver. It is the very action of giving which brings joy to the receiver. Raindrops fall on petals and dirt. Discrimination is not the nature of the natural.”
– Ujjwal Dey
Wayfarer@bikernet.com
HOLIDAY CULTURAL WARNING– Enough Already It’s A Song Read What You Want Into It But It Is Not Important To Others.
I was already told it would not be cool to wear mistletoe on my belt this year, something I have done for many years. The position changed do to circumstances LOL
–Rogue
Chill out, culture police, on ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’
Charlotte Allen Special to USA TODAY
Every year at Christmastime these days, as sure as fake antlers and Aunt Ruby’s fluorescent- cherry fruitcake, the feminists are out denouncing Frank Loesser’s 1940s seasonal seduction duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as “rapey.”
As cheerless as Scrooge wondering why there are no workhouses, the sexual-assault sisterhood reads sinister subtexts into Loesser’s lyrics every Yuletide. “Say, what’s in this drink?” That’s all about roofies, the date-rape drug. “I ought to say no, no, no.” That’s women being socialized by the patriarchy to be nice when they really want to get away. “I’ve got to get home” — “Oh, baby, you’ll freeze out there.” That’s him wearing her down into unwanted sex.
I can’t decide whether these Grinch-ettes of rape culture have tin ears, tin eyes, tin brains, or all three. Have any of them ever heard the song sung? (My favorite cover is Jerry Mercer’s and Margaret Whiting’s, although Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan are close runners- up.)
The contrapuntal lyrics, in which he puts the moves on her by invoking freezing exterior weather and she tries to think why she ought to go home when she’d really rather not, actually tell a tale of sex at its most pleasantly consensual (or maybe, since this was 1944, after all, just a little kissing and hugging).
There’s flirtation, there’s wooing, and above all, there’s a languid lightheartedness. He never forces himself on her, merely persuades her to … stay a little longer. (And remember that it’s she who’s arrived to “drop in” on him, not the other way around.) As the musicologist Thomas Riis wrote, “Loesser can be said to have built his little tune into a miniature dramatic scene, a scena in the operatic sense, in which two characters and the nature of their relationship are fully sketched with efficiency and emotional clarity.”
And it should be noted that the very first performance of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was by Loesser and his wife (you can’t get more affirmatively consensual than that), entertaining their celebrity guests at a housewarming. The Loessers loved singing it, and their guests loved hearing it.
Commentator Mark Steyn quotes Lynn Loesser’s memoirs: “It was our ticket to caviar and truffles. Parties were built around our being the closing act.”
Well, not quite everyone loved “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” A young Egyptian, Sayyid Qutb, studying at what is now Northern Colorado University, heard a recording of the song at a church dance and wrote that he was outraged: “The room convulsed with the feverish music from the gramophone. Dancing naked legs filled the hall, arms draped around the waists, chests met chests, lips met lips …” Qutb went back to Egypt to become a leader in the fanatically anti-secular Muslim Brotherhood. Later hanged for plotting to overthrow the Nasser government, he’s regarded as the godfather of modern jihad.
Feminists love to cultivate sympathetic “allies.” And they’ve got them aplenty in their grim and puritanical loathing of a cheery Christmas song: radical Islamic terrorists.
–by Charlotte Allen, USA Today, is a columnist for First Things magazine.
–from Rogue
SUPPORT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS– In 2017, the American Red Cross responded to 242 significant disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, and nearly 50,000 home fires – disasters that happen every single day. Thanks to your support, we were prepared to respond to each emergency.
There’s no predicting what next year could bring, which is why we need Red Cross supporters, like you, today.
And today is a great day to make a difference! A group of donors have generously stepped up to MATCH all gifts made in the next 24 hours, dollar-for-dollar, up to $185,000. Can families in need count on you to make a donation today to help us serve communities now and to prepare for whatever 2018 has in store?
TATTOO OF THE WEEK– A huge Hindu God piece I’ve been chipping away at on Jen. This is was our 5th session on this piece which represents her faith.
The ribs are very difficult and challenging spot to get a tattoo that has much detail and dense color, she normally only sits for about two hours at a time.
One more session will cover the rest then I’m putting a bow on it and sending her back to Fiji!
–Frank Ball JR.
Radical Rondine: 1939 Gilera 500 Rondine
We take a look at the championship-winning 1939 Gilera Rondine, the world’s first 4-cylinder Superbike.
By Hamish Cooper
1939 Gilera 500 Rondine
Engine: 492cc liquid-cooled DOHC inline four (inclined 60 degrees forward), 52mm x 58mm bore and stroke, 7.2-7.5:1 compression ratio, 80hp @ 9,000rpm
Top speed: 140mph
Carburetion: Weber w/Roots supercharger
Transmission: 4-speed, chain final drive
Electrics: Magneto ignition
Frame: Tubular perimeter w/engine as stressed member
Suspension: Girder fork front, swingarm rear w/horizontal springs and adjustable friction dampers
Brakes: SLS drum front and rear
Tires: 3 x 21in front, 3.25 x 20in rear
Weight: 400lb (182kg)
Fuel capacity: 5.8gal (22ltr)
Honda transformed motorcycling when it released the CB750 in 1969, its radical multi-cylinder design launching the era of the Seventies Superbike. But was it as radical as the very first across-the-frame 4-cylinder?
That bike would be the Italian Rondine, developed in the 1930s. How radical was the Rondine? Try this: water-cooling versus the original CB750’s air-cooling; double-overhead camshafts versus Honda’s single-overhead cams; forced-induction supercharging instead of a bank of four conventional carburetors.
To be sure, the Rondine was a specialist racer, but all modern across-the-frame 4-cylinder motorcycles owe a debt of gratitude to the original version. To appreciate how advanced it was, one need only look at the history books: The Rondine won the 1939 European championship, the precursor to the post-World War II Grand Prix World Championship.
Free thinkers get working
The Rondine’s design dates back to the early 1920s, and was developed by young Italian engineers Carlo Gianini and Piero Remor. It wasn’t the first 4-cylinder motorcycle, as Belgium’s FN and America’s Henderson companies had been making them at least a decade earlier.
–Motorcycle Classics
MAKE 2018 SPECIAL— I sorta disagree with the Uncle this week. Sure life throws obstacles and hurtles your way daily, but that’s the challenge of life. Your job is to overcome anything in your way of goals.
It’s simple, never give up and never slow down. And one of the major keys is to live in your Nirvana no matter what. Think about this: You can say to yourself, “I can’t build my dream bike because I don’t have the money and my wife won’t let me ride.”
Okay, that’s an interesting thought. It’s just a thought. You could also say, “I’m going to build my dream scooter in 2018 and nothing or no one can stand in my way.” If you correct and believe your goal will happen, it will. I know.
Guy and girls who get things done are not unique. I know another guy, Brian Klock, who never stops. We have some of his products to share with some of our readers. We will review his sound system enhancers in the near future on my son’s Road Glide and give a couple to our Bagger readers. We also have some of his phone mounting brackets. Hang on for the contest.
Ride Free Forever,
–Bandit
