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BIKERNET EYE TEST– Someday we’ll look back on this moment… and plow into a parked car.
–from Rodan
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS JOIN MASTER BUILDERS– ST.PAUL, MN, MARCH 31, 2008: High School students from Eden Senior High, Eden, NY., Clearfield County Career and Technology Center, Clearfield, PA., and Howell High School, Howell, MI., joined predecessors Kennedy High School of Bloomington, MN., and St. Francis High School of Bethel, MN., at the Donnie Smith Bike Show held March 29-30, 2008 at the St. Paul River Centre, St.Paul, Minnesota. *Bernice MacNaughton HS, Moncton, New Brunswick was unable to attend due to a travel restriction following the tragic loss of seven student athletes and a teacher in a motor vehicle accident.
The students are part of the Donnie Smith Chopper Class Challenge (DSCCC). The program was created in 2004 after Scottie Ard (Program Coordinator for the DSCCC) visited Kennedy High School to see an innovative program created by Instructor Kevin Baas which taught students to build custom motorcycles. Ard brought Master Builder Donnie Smith and American Thunder Promotions owner Neil Ryan to visit the program and the rest is history. DSCCC teams displayed motorcycles they have spent the school year building. The finished motorcycles which are designed, fabricated and built by the students were judged by industry experts and the public during the course of the show. The DSCCC encourages scholastic achievement by incorporating all areas of education to build a custom motorcycle.
“The Donnie Smith Chopper Class Challenge provides students the opportunity to expand their learning and creative potential by enabling them to apply knowledge and skills to something they are passionate about. The motorcycles that the students build are as unique and dynamic as any motorcycle seen today. These students have very bright futures and because of their endeavors, so does the industry.” Ard said. The riding community showed their support for the DSCCC by hosting a fundraising event on Friday, March 28 at the legendary Cabooze in Minneapolis. Zed Leppelin, the nation’s premier Led Zeppelin experience (www.zed-leppelin.com) and DJ JJ Lawrence from Bring the Noise Entertainment(www.bringthenoiseentertainment.com) cleared their tour calendars to participate in the event.
The artists played to a full house of enthusiastic riders and fans. An added surprise for everyone was the attendance of riders from Norway who had heard of the event and came to support the DSCCC.
Guests at the event got a preview of the latest in motorcycle gear for 2008 during a gear show presented by Hopkins Leather & Specialties. Donations by Iron Works Magazine, In The News Inc., Jason and Shauna Holmes, Hopkins Leather & Specialties, Full Power Cycle, Minnetonka Custom Cycle, Hitching Post Motorsports, Unchained Aggressions Metalworks Studio, Mark Bacon, Brian Klock, Paul Cox, Russell Mitchell, Arlen Fatland, Jerry Covington, Keino, Russell Manlove, Dave Perewitz, Donnie Smith, Bert Baker, Kim Suter, Tabor Nash and Vinnie and Cody from VForce Customs gave guests an opportunity to bid on motorcycle products, services and collectibles during the silent auction.
DSCCC teams attending the show had the opportunity to meet with Master Builders Donny Smith, Dave Perewitz and Brian Klock, who have been instrumental in the growth of the DSCCC. John Kosmoski of House of Kolor and Kenny Price from Samson Motorcycle Products met with students to give pointers and share the history of the custom motorcycle industry. The judges and the public had their work cut out for them as each school presented builds that were technically precise and full of innovation. The awards are as follows:
Awards: DSCCC 2008
Overall – Eden High School, Eden, NY
Technical – John F. Kennedy, Bloomington, MN
Peoples Choice Award – Clearfield County Career and Technical Center, Clearfield, PA
Innovation in Structural Redesign – Howell High School, Howell, MI
Innovation in Fabrication – St. Francis High School – St. Francis, MN
The DSCCC school programs are supported by industry leaders and individuals. Without this support many schools would not be able to participate. For 2009 the DSCCC is looking for sponsors to donate motors and drive trains which will be used year to year by the schools. Businesses Supporting DSCCC Teams for 2008:
The DSCCC is open to any high school with an Industrial Arts/Technology Program. Applications for the 2009 DSCCC program are being accepted at this time. To participate or donate please contact Scottie Ard, DSCCC Program Coordinator at 612-392-2570 or email -scottieard@gmail.com
MRF REPORT– ABATE of California has requested that we run this release on our system. Please review it and take the necessary action you deem fitting.
The MRF has received numerous inquiries regarding this particular State Supreme Court helmet case and the fund established by ABATE of California in support of it. Please direct any questions you may have to the parties contained on the press release.
The MRF would like to make it clear that we support the State Motorcycle Rights Organizations efforts to gain or maintain freedom of choice when it comes to the use of protective apparel and safety devices just as we do so vigilantly at the federal level.
Please join the MRF in support of ABATE of California and other California motorcyclists in their efforts to gain freedom of choice in their state.
–Kirk “Hardtail” Willard, MRF President
REQUEST TO ALL STATE MOTORCYCLE RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND NATIONAL RIGHTS GROUPS– Biker Rights Advocates and Freedom Fighters, Historic litigation will go to trial soon to overturn the California helmet law. It will set important precedent that freedom fighters can use across the nation to overturn existing state helmet laws on constitutional grounds.
It is litigation that ABATE of California strongly supports, and we call for the support of our brother SMROs nationwide. ABATE of California set up a Judicial Fund to serve as the war chest for the litigation. Despite the thousands of dollars, that ABATE of Calif. members have raised, the demands of the litigation now require us to ask you to stand with us.
ABATE as far away as Delaware, (the first State to sign the United States Constitution), have stepped forward and contributed to this nationally important constitutional litigation, followed most recently by ABATE of Michigan and ABATE of Northern Nevada. Three tiny ABATE of Delaware Locals joined together to contribute $8,500 to the Judicial Fund, amounting to $8.00 for each ABATE of Delaware member.
Delaware also called on all other good freedom loving bikers, and SMROs nationally to recognize the importance of this California litigation and to join with ABATE of California to assure that the litigation succeeds.
The helmet law that NTSB is attempting to shove down the throats of bikers nationwide is constitutionally vulnerable, and it is precisely this vulnerability that the California litigation will exploit.
The NTSB has recommended that all states adopt helmet laws requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets compliant with the federal motorcycle helmet performance standard set forth at FMVSS 218. The California helmet law is essentially identical, unconstitutionally vague as enforced, and incapable of being interpreted to conform to constitutional requisites thus rendering it unconstitutionally unenforceable.
Please consider honoring this call, on behalf of ABATE of California, and the growing number of other SMRO’s nationwide, to assure that the very best constitutional case can be presented here for the benefit of every American rider.
You may send your check to: “Judicial Fund,” c/o ABATE of California, 10240 Seventh Avenue, Hesperia, CA 92345.
— Contact: ABATE of California, Inc.:
Don Blanscet, Executive Director
530/432-1513
donb51@earthlink.net
Mike Osborn, Judicial Officer
805/644-1617
mwosborn@mindspring.net
HARLEY-DAVIDSON EMPLOYEES IN WISCONSIN APPROVE NEW LABOR AGREEMENTS– Milwaukee, WI April 4, 2008 — All three unions representing Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) employees in Wisconsin voted today to ratify new collective bargaining agreements with the Company. The new four-year agreements, which cover approximately 2,210 employees, became effective retroactive to April 1.
The Company has individual labor agreements with United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2-209, representing about 1,700 employees and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Lodge 78, representing about 150 employees, in the Milwaukee area; and with USW Local 460 in Tomahawk, Wis., which represents about 360 employees.
?Harley-Davidson has a long history of working with our union partners to manage the business. We thank our employees and the union leaders for their important contributions to the success of these negotiations and to the success of Harley-Davidson,? said Harold Scott, Harley-Davidson Vice President, Human Resources.
?The new contracts balance Harley Davidson?s need to responsibly manage our business for the long term in a competitive global market with our desire to continue to provide a strong wage and benefits package for employees,? Scott said.
In addition to improvements in wages, the new contracts provide for the establishment of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) for bargaining unit employees, under which they can use HRA dollars to help pay for out of pocket health care costs. Other health care plan provisions are designed to moderate the rise in plan costs yet maintain Harley-Davidson?s position as a provider of top-tier health care benefits.
SUNDAY BIKERNET JIMS TOOL OF THE WEEK, H-D CRUISE DRIVE 6-SPEED TRANSMISSION DOOR REMOVER TOOL– Use this tool to remove (pull) the complete door with gears and shafts from the transmission. No longer will you need to remove the trap door by prying or hitting with a hammer.
Just prepare the trans for disassembly, bolt this tool to the outside of door, and place the two supplied press pins into the two screw holes of trans case. Thread in two of the screws, securing the door to case, and the door is pulled from case.
Can be used with transmission in frame.
No.984 – Use on all 2006-present Dyna˙ and 2007 FLHT & FXST.
Suggested Retail Price$137.90
–JT
LEATHER SEAT TUTORIALS FROM BIKERNET– I’m Dustin Dalke, a High School teacher in Kansas. I’ve been very appreciative of all your seat tutorials from various artists, especially Shirley.
I’ve been in contact with her during my first ever Leather and Seat design for my ride. Throughout my leather work, I have taken almost 70 pics from start to finish and on the bike. I sent some of them to Shirley, thanking her for her awesome advice and having her seats on bikernet. She sent me to you to see if you could post my pics and work progress. I’d be the happiest stinkin’ camper around.
Let me know how you’d like the pics and text,
–Dustin Dalke
We are always interested in projects, big or small. If they’re cool we’ll share them with the Bikernet audience.–Bandit
AUSTRALIAN BIKERNET WRITER MAKES GOOD– Thought you’d like to know that one of my stories is going to appear in a popular USA fantasy magazine called Flashing Swords.
FS has bought all of my sword and sorcery stories and one story will come out in each issue of the magazine for at least the rest of the year.
Any Bikernet readers who enjoy good old fashioned sword and sorcery action/adventure are bound to like my stories, and many others in the magazine.
They can order copies here: http://flashingswords.sfreader.com/titlepage.asp
–Cheers: Jaq.
GRANDEUR CYCLE THE MISSING LINK– GRANDEUR Cycle says: “At last there is a properly designed and easily installed stabilizer for the FLH and FLT.”
The ‘Missing Link’ stabilizer has been designed to eliminate tank slap, rear steer or high speed wobble problems which are not uncommon on rubber-mounted models, such as Dressers and Road Kings. These issues occur due to the rubber mounted engine, transmission and swingarm moving sideways under heavy compression, such as when cornering at speed.
Grandeur’s ‘Missing Link’ is designed to complement the factory-fitted adjustable stabilizers mounted to the front and top of the engine. It is said to help keep the engine centered in the frame and to prevent the rubber mounts from being compressed and moving side to side by the road forces on the rear tire. With the ‘Missing Link’ fitted, the rubber mounts can only flex up and down, as designed, keeping the driveline centered in the frame.
The entire unit is made in steel, finished with powdercoat and designed to mount above the bottom of the transmission on all models of FLH and FLT 2002 to present.
–GRANDEUR CYCLE
Jonesville, North Carolina, USA
Tel: 336 526 2468
Fax: 336 526 4850
E-mail: darius@grandeurcycle.com
www.grandeurcycle.com
IT’S SHOVELHEAD DAYS AT BIKERNET–Rumor has it we have guests rolling into the headquarters this afternoon. J.J. Solari is delivering some signed books and we’ll offer them to some lucky readers. Then the German doctor is flying in from Texas and a ship engineer may take me on a tour of freighter design. Never a dull moment around here.
I’m off to tour the new Indian factory in North Carolina, but next week will be devoted to launching several features on Bikernet and one from TBear on Bikernet Metric. We’ll start with the Two Brothers bobber features, then Chopper Dave’s X-Wedge and Don Yates Indian, then the Green pan from Jon Fox. Gonna be a busy week. In the meantime let’s party.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
