April 11, 2002 Part 3

BIKERNET NEWS FLASH – HEADQUARTERS INVADED BY PIRATES

Continued From Page 2

RUN FOR BREATH UPDATE–The Run For Breath, slated for July 28, was designed as a charity run for the American Lung Association and its clinics for children with asthma-related illnesses. It was started by Mike Pullin of Charlotte Harley-Davidson, who lost his son to asthma. Bandit introduced Mike to Lee Clemens from Departure Bike Works, who a year ago lost his son in a motorcycle accident. They have developed a strong lasting friendship and Lee plans to attend again this year. Bandit is the grand marshal and will also be in attendance, if we can find him.

CALL FOR RECIPIES– April 10, 2002-Biker Billy wants YOUR recipes for his next book,”Hogwild on a Harley,” to be published by Harvard Common Press, Boston, nextspring.

He’s the hottest cook on a Harley, his demonstrations are the hit of therally circuit. No one knows peppers-from ancho to serrano-better than BillHufnagle. His two books, “Biker Billy Cooks with Fire” and “Biker Billy’sFreeway-a-Fire” have turned up the heat in kitchens across America.

Biker Billy’s third book will be dedicated to Harley-Davidsons and thepeople who ride them. After all, we live to ride, and we ride to eat! “HogWild on a Harley” will be a celebration of Harley people, lifestyle andcommunity expressed through food.

Biker Billy wants to include YOUR recipes-for meals, snacks, parties,holidays, beverages; childhood or family favorites are welcome. Ingredientscan come from any food group-animal or vegetable. The recipes don’t have tobe hot and spicy, but they must be uniquely yours, not taken from anotherbook, magazine or Internet site.

Submit recipes online until May 1 atwww.bikerbilly.com/home.tpl. Click the recipe submission icon. Please readthe release form before you hit submit recipe, to indicate that you acceptthese terms.

Just type, or copy and paste, your text in the form:Recipe title, subtitle if necessary.List ingredients with quantities. Be specific: 1/2 teaspoon, 2 cups, 6ounces, 3/4 pound; fresh, frozen, dried, whole, chopped, diced, minced, shredded, ground.Step-by-step directions for preparation, and expected results for each stage.Describe consistency of mixtures before cooking, how to correct and test fordone.Number of servings, suggested foods or beverages to accompany.A paragraph or two to about your experience with Harleys and food. (50-300words)

Multiple submissions encouraged! Photographs of you, your motorcycle andyour food (keep them rated G, please) may also be sent through the Web site.Biker Billy’s going HOGWILD ON A HARLEY-come along for the ride!

Harley Davidson Banner

SCREAMIN’ EAGLE NHRA PRO STOCK DRAG RACING TEAM FOCUSED ON TESTING– MILWAUKEE – (April 11, 2002) The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock Bike drag racing team will remain focussed on extensive testing and development efforts and, as a result, will not compete at the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas, on April 11-14. The Screamin’ Eagle team made its debut at the NHRA Mac Tools Gator Nationals in Gainesville, Fla., in March, setting the quickest V-Twin run in NHRA Pro Stock history.

“We know what the benchmark is to qualify for an NHRA Pro Stock National and we knew this wouldn’t be an easy mountain to climb. The team has been working non-stop since Gainesville to solve the technical issues that kept us from making the show,” said Mike Kennedy, director of marketing for Harley-Davidson Parts and Accessories. “We are committed to our goal of becoming the first V-Twin to qualify, to make a final and to win. We have the best minds in the business working on our program and we expect to make progress through continued development.”

Screamin’ Eagle team rider GT Tonglet, who recently turned 19, remains confident. “I know Byron Hines and the team are hard at work on this and I can’t wait for the next race,” he said.

WELCOME HOME BANDIT–I just love homecomings. My ex-husband fished in Alaska in 1980 and I remember proposing to him via a card! Glad you are safe at home and Layla has her man back. Ah romance.

I can’t wait to go. Suzanne and I are thinking the 18-20th would be a good leaving date and we’ll allow ourselves about 18 days or so for the whole trip. Mailman took out an insurance policy on the bikes since our last plans were foiled. He says he won’t go with us, although I asked a few times.

Funny thing, your leaving and returning has affected me. Layla, your excitement is contagious! I am very happy you are in each other’s … arms.

–Helen Wolfe

This is our drag racing journalist who attempted a run down the West Coast only to have a breakdown and return home, but she’s not giving up.

You know, could it be Bandit banging on the back door? Shit, Coral, put on some clothes and go check.

BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT– Hope that Bandit made it OK. Let him know that you did a great jobwhile he was out on the rust bucket. And I say so !

Saludos. Jose.

By the time you read this Bandit should be back home, the floor stillrocking, but home at last. I want to say that the ladies did an amazing jobthese past months. Bikernet would have gone down the tube without them. Also,to everyone else who held the fort while Se?or Bandit was taking that”pleasure” cruise around the world. But now it’s back-to- work time.

Week after week we have more people sending e-mails and calling about theshort reports, all have been positive and I think that’s great. We areusing this forum to inform and help other people who are not able to reachas many readers as we do, so feel free to use Your Shot or e-mail me withany gripes or requests.

And now to the point.A friend/customer has been coming to the shop for the past couple monthswith a problem and I’m going to post it to see what can be done about it,so here we go. He has a 2002 Sportster, nice, brand new, dealer-bought,bike. Problems with the paint has brought him several times back to thedealer. When you slide your hands over the paint, it scratches. I know they do that, but it’s not in a normal way. A white (from the clear) streakshows up. To top it off, the bottom of the tank is totally bubbled up, likeclear drips or excess. The fenders do the same but not as bad. Just theclear bubbles should be enough to change the tank (still under warranty)but no, the dealer (which I have no beef with) waited for the Latin Americanservice expert ???? And he decided that the bubbles are completely normal,bull !

That’s part one. So now his bike is spewing oil from the rockerboxes, and lots of oil, so they change them. Now his lifters ended up dry(seized) and had to be replaced, along with a bunch of other parts. Lemon youmight say.

The owner sent a letter to H-D’s VP with his paint concerns. The letter wascut off by someone in customer service and he was told that the case hadbeen settled. After sending a few more letters they are all cut off bysomeone else. So he asked me to post this in Bikernet and intends to postone in every motorcycle magazine in the United States. If any of the powers to be readthis, feel free to e-mail me privately – Jose@ChopperFreak.com – and I willforward his concerns.

To me a tank’s not worth that much. It?s a hellof a price to pay for some bad PR. I know that H-D’s powers to bedon’t have the time to deal with all the problems, but what’s important ina tiny business or a huge corporation is customer satisfaction.

The Motorsport (our local H-D dealer) BBQ was a hit. We showed up with 12of our choppers to show support (see we have no beef!) even though the daywas overcast and rainy. We also shared the floor of one of our local malls(invited by the dealer) with their brand new bike.

For the kind of day, it was pretty packed. For $5 you could have all the food you wanted and soft drinks from LonghornSteakhouse. But I tell ya’, those choppers looked good all lined up amid thesea of chrome barges, even our pseudo competitors (who caged in ! ) weredrooling……

We met and had a short ride around town (trying to avoid the thunderstorms)and ended up in Old San Juan checking out the cruise ships and freshtourists, ogling at the bikes while looking for bargains. It was a goodtime of friendship and avoiding rain.

The Desertores did not have the same luck. They ended up soaking wet, butmanaged to have pretty good attendance at their ride.It’s been raining here and Sunday was no exception, although the waves arerockin’ (hear that Jesse! ) so we, of course, go surfing.

I’ve noticed that in the past year or so that I’ve been posting in Bikernet,I have not shown a photo of one of my personal bikes, so I will try thistime, maybe next week, if the rain stops.

I had some really good news this morning. Seems like Mike Rouse from BMC isdoing great, can’t even keep up with production! And seems like thechapel bells will be tolling soon. Congrats my friend.

Well, I’m guessing that’s it for now. Welcome back Bandit! I know thegirls are dying to see ya’, they even left PR in a hurry when they saw theLeon rust bucket crossing the Panama Canal.
See ya’next week, and the next, and next……….

–Jose. Caribbean news and gripes @ Bikernet.com

Continued On Page 4

Please follow and like us:
Pin Share
Scroll to Top