TWO ICONS DOWNED THIS WEEK–While hitting the iron pile Friday morning I received an urgent phone call from Carl Morrow from Carl’s Speed shop in Daytona Florida to inform me that Ed “Big Daddy” Roth had died of natural causes. Ed, the King of the custom culture was there in the beginning and still worked seven days a week on customs in his 70s. He had become a deeply religious man and moved to Idaho to embrace his faith while still emmersed in his art.
Roger Ramjet who developed the Ramjet retainer for early clutches, a fast flowing solid Evolution intake manifold and many other performance products died Wednesday in Santa Maria on highway 101 when his speeding motorcycle hit an obstruction on the freeway.
Roger assisted with the Easyriders Streamliner and many other Harley-oriented racing efforts. He also became deeply religious and attended bible studies in a tattoo parlor in the California coastal community. My Son Frank was working at the parlor for a short time, and became fast friends with Roger, learning the better ways of dealing with life’s lessons from the man.
This industry will be a couple of notches lower in the heart department because of our loss of these icons. It just goes to show that religious or not, every day, every minute is precious.
Ride forever, Brothers–Bandit
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VANCIL ROLLS TO RUNNER-UP AT THE ROCK–Doug Vancil of Albuquerque, N.M., nitro Harley drag racer, rolled to runner-upafter qualifying No. 1 in the Screamin’ Eagle Nitro Harley-Davidson division atthe 31st annual Holley Spring Nationals presented by Advance Auto Parts atRockingham Dragway in Rockingham, N.C.
Vancil smoked the field in qualifying, running consistently in the 6.5’s atover 200 mph.?The quickest field of 12 of the premier Top FuelHarley Racers Association members eligible to compete had a bump spot of6.673 ET at 194.38 mph., making this the quickest Nitro Harley field ever forIHRA.
In round one, Vancil took out Bill Furr of Orangeburg, S.C., at the tree in agreat side-by-side pass.?Vancil took a win on the Vance & Hines ’00 Harleywith a 0.472 RT at 6.610 ET 206.86 mph over Furr’s RT of 0.502 with 6.673 ETat 205.29 mph.
Between the first and second round, a severe weather front moved in. Vancil’s teamwas joined by a crowd of 10, including spectators and car nitro crew menholding down the awning to the Vance & Hines/Drag Specialties rig. Highwinds were accompanied by hail and radically dropping temperatures. ??
The semi-final round against Tony Mattioli of Middlegrove, N.Y., ?brought a winlight to Vancil’s column. Vancil’s 0.522 RT, 6.648 ET at 202.88 mph wasenough over Mattioli’s slowest time of the weekend 0.572?RT ?at 7.307 ET at151.78 mph to advance to the finals.
In the final round, Vancil and Houston Harley dealer Johnny Mancuso hadengine problems from the green light.?Mancuso rolled through the lightsfirst with an unceremonious 0.471 RT 8.797 ET at 115.13 mph. Vancil’sreaction time was 0.458 with a 10.282 ET at a coasting 73?mph.
Vancil now prepares the Vance & Hines/Drag Specialties Nitro Harley for IHRAat Richmond, Va., in mid-April. The Vancils are supported by Vance & Hines, DragSpecialties, Performance Machine, K & N, PJ 1, B & J Transmission, & Axtell.
CANTINA UPDATE–We’re breaking new records every day in Cantina subscriptions! We’ve added threearticles to the new Digital’s Discovery area, including a bike that runs onsoy bean oil, a biography on Bikernet’s own Helen Wolfe and a knife handcraftedby Von Dutch himself. We’ve also got a new article in the works by Scooter abouta fully restored German WWII helmet. “Bandit’sCantina,” the series, is in its fourth episode this week. The Bars andHangouts listing for the U.S. and Canada has broken the 200 mark and is getting biggerall the time. The Sunday Post, the Whore-O-Scope, the Shop ListingDatabase and the rest of the Cantina departments are growing daily. If youhaven’t signed up, you’re missing out. Be sure to watch AMERICAN QUANTUM EMPLOYEES SCREWED AGAIN– I attended American Quantum’s federal bankruptcy hearing in Orlando, Fla., on April 3 to object to the sale of motorcycles and other assets to Enzo Aquino of Performance Cycle in Webster, N.Y., also doing business as Aquino’s Auto Service. Aqunio had contracted to buy the items from Quantum’s inventory for $251,000, which was well below their value. Employees did not object to the sale because the court told them they were the next priority after court expenses. That amount after expenses was $141,000. Aquino and previous vice presidents of American Quantum, along with the trustee, made the deal. Along comes Joe Hale of International Holdings Inc. and objects to the deal unless he gets money that he believes is owed him and is going to hold up the sale and force Aquino and company to miss Bike Week with their new score. Somehow things get turned around and the employees are no longer first priority. Aquino gets the bikes for pennies on the dollar, the trustee gets $60,000, Mike McCusker gets $10,000, Joe Hale the $141,000 that was supposed to be for the employees, plus other inventory, leaving nothing at the Quantum address but bare walls and piles of garbage. As soon as I heard what had happened, I and others filed petitions with the court to stop the deal. Even though the paperwork was received and I received a phone call from the trustee saying he wanted to talk to me about my petition, nothing happened to stop items from being removed while the objections were heard by the court. The trustee and others involved with him were at Quantum the day following his phone call to me, having conversations with Aquino and Quantum X vice presidents who were involved in the sale. The building was eventually stripped to the walls and everything of value removed prior to the court hearing. Very convenient. And of course the trustee’s lawyer did his soft shoe shuffle for the judge, saying they thought they had the right to do what they did or some such mumbo jumbo. The bottom line is that the judge at this point did not have much choice but to grant their compromise. I was allowed to speak to the court and informed him that though he had ordered Mr. Mills, the trustee, to send federal bankruptcy Form B10 to all employees so they could file for their lost wages, he had not yet done so. I reminded the judge that at a previous time in his court, he had said that the employees were a priority. It appears that he remembered that as he told the trustee and the attorney again that the employees were in fact the priority. You should have seen the song and dance show Mills and his attorney were having in the hall outside the courtroom trying to answer the questions of the employees. Well, we shall wait and see. Wait for the next episode of Peyton Melbourne and the ongoing Quantum fiasco. Hang tough and ride safe –ROGUE THE PERFECT BREAKFAST!–You’re sitting at the table and your son is on the cover of the box ofWheaties, your mistress is on the cover of Playboy and your wife is on theback of the milk carton! –Alison MARCH BIKERNET SHOW WINNERS–Here they are in all their glory. They will be receiving prizes from Samson, Harley-Davidson, Bikernet and Crime Inc. Congratulations guys! In the Competition category In the Pro-Street category In the Radical Custom category In the Ridden category In the Sportster category In the Street Custom-Stock category In the Vintage category In the Vintage Chopper category RIDE WITH THE LEADERS — TO THE NATION?S CAPITOL – WEEK NO. 5:??MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FROM ILLINOIS TAKE PRO-SAFETY,PRO-FREEDOM AGENDA TO CONGRESS ? AND THE WHITE HOUSE– In partnership with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, ABATE of Illinois sent a second contingent to Washington to advance rider rights and safety, and, in the process, made history. After spending all week briefing the entire Illinois Congressional delegation, ABATE of Illinois was treated by MRF to what may be a first in the history of the motorcyclists? rights movement: a personal meeting with the national policy staff of the Office of the President of the United States in the Old Executive Office Building. With the White House staff as with Members of Congress, ABATE of Illinois and MRF explained EPA?s call for restrictive regulations on street motorcycles and the threat these regulations pose to individual riders and thousands of workers employed by small businesses in our community. The joint MRF-SMRO team also emphasized the importance of making motorcycle safety a national priority and the need to reverse discrimination in regulations on the Health Care Portability and Accountability Act. ?While countering EPA restrictions remains our top priority, the need for new leadership at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) emerged throughout the week as an issue of utmost importance to motorcyclists nationwide,? observed Tom Wyld, MRF vice president for government relations. ?TEA-21 transformed NHTSA?s primary mission from injury reduction to accident prevention, but the agency has not caught on. It continues to embrace injury reduction, including the lobbying of state legislatures to adopt mandatory helmet laws a practice forbidden by TEA-21. Our safety agenda — from a national Motorist Awareness of Motorcycles program to a resource injection to help state-run rider training programs will save lives by preventing accidents. But our safety agenda can succeed only with new leadership at NHTSA committed to making accident prevention the agency?s first and foremost priority.? The Illinois visit brought the total to 16 U.S. senators and 64 U.S. representatives who have heard the pro-safety, pro-freedom message voiced by the most effective lobbyists in Washington: citizens from back home, constituents who take time from work and family to express their views, in person, to their elected representatives in Congress. Making the difference for motorcyclists? rights and safety last week were Mary Burgett, Sheila Gallagher, Mike May, Linda Pasetti, Ernest Steele, Greg Wagner and Gary Wayman. Leading the Illinois contingent was Cheryl Pearre. ABATE of Illinois visited senators Richard Durbin and Peter Fitzgerald and U.S. representatives Bobby Rush; Jesse Jackson, Jr.; William Lipinski, Luis Gutierrez, Rod Blagojevich, Henry Hyde, Danny Davis, Philip Crane; Janice Schakowsky; Mark Kirk; Jerry Weller; Jerry Costello; Judy Biggert; House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Tim Johnson, Don Manzullo; Lane Evans; Ray LaHood; David Phelps; and John Shimkus. Thus far, riders from Alaska, Michigan, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Illinois have traveled to the nation?s capitol to advance freedom, with Wisconsin and Illinois sending two contingents. Several New England states, plus Maryland and Indiana, are planning trips in the near future. Says MRF?s Tom Wyld: ?Join them. When the ordinary citizen comes to Washington, extraordinary things happen. You make Washington pay attention, you build new relationships, you change minds, you shape public policy, you make progress. ?Because we face powerful threats to our rights and safety, SMROs should take the most powerful action they can to counter them: a trip to Washington. Ride with the leaders. Plan your joint MRF-SMRO visit today. Call (202) 546-0983.? BIKE SHOPPE SWITCHES TO ER–I don’t know if you knew it, but KC Creations has joined forces withEasyriders. We are now Easyriders of Kansas City, home of K.C. Creations.?The grand opening is the the weekend of May 11-12, which isFriday and Saturday. We chose Friday and Saturday because Sunday is Mother’s Day. Wewould like to invite the Hamsters. If anyone would like to come, we wouldlove to have you join us. Give Cheryl or Kim Suter a call and they can helpwith accommodations and such.? –Patty MASS HELMET LAW TACTICS– Guerrilla tactics are a very effective method for beating your enemyintosubmission. While special operations can take many forms, mis-directionand mis-information are two powerful weapons that can be used to frustrate,confuse and demoralize the opposing side. Special warfare is unconventionaland employs psychological devices to undermine the enemy’s will to resist.It also employs the frequent use of punitive actions in retaliation forsomething done by the enemy. The key to being successful with theimplementation of punitive actions is to develop a plan that accomplishesseveral objectives while utilizing minimal resources. In the case of House Bill 1263 in Massachusetts, proper implementation ofthe plan will do the following: 1. Discredit the leadership of the pro-motorcycle helmet forces if they donot support the bill. 2. Win the hearts and minds of the citizens who have heretofore eithersupported mandatory motorcycle helmets or remained neutral on the subjectbecause it had no effect on them. 3. Place pro-motorcycle helmet law legislators in a position where theymust support the bill to be consistent, risking the ire of theirconstituents, orchange their position on motorcycle helmets to avoid inconsistency in theirarguments for them. For the plan to be effective, the public must be made aware of the bill andlegislators must be forced to take a public position for which they can besubsequently held accountable. The following is a request from MA bikers:We need people to e-mail the Safety Committee to force a response on this.Addresses can be found at www.state.ma.us/legis/comm/j22.htm. Wehave to put the pressure on them and give them an out for the public. Webelieve that a lot of them are on the fence because of public scrutiny onrepeal. By actually giving them this bill in writing, they can go to thepressand say that they had to repeal the mandatory motorcycle helmet law oreveryone would have to wear one. The folks who submitted the bill believe the possibility of facing suitsforprofiling and discrimination against motorcyclists will have an impact onthedecision-making process. This certainly places legislators in a difficultposition. We urge your participation in writing to the members of thecommittee to applaud the forward thinking and positive safety ramificationsthe bill represents. With so many people being killed or injured in vehiclecrashes, mandatory helmet use will certainly “save more than one life” andhave a significant effect on the burden caused by uninsured and under-insured vehicle operators. This law is one more weapon in the battle toreduce the medical consequences of crashes that seat belts and air bagshave been unable to prevent. HAWG RYDERS SAVE BIKERNET WRITER–Hey Bandit…I promised a friend that I’d pass on his forum info…this is where I’ve been hanging out all winter and it was this bunch of hairy apes that kept me sane through what has proven to be one of the longest, weirdest winters of my life. The site is Hawg Ryders All Harley Tech Forum. It’s in the top ten of Biker Huts Top 100 Sites. I think you can get there through www.delphi.com/hawgryderAnd since these guys are some of my biggest fans 😉 he’s got Bikernet listed under his links… So if you want to cruise through sometime when you have a free moment (Ha ha…like THAT’S gonna happen anytime soon) I know he’d love to have you… –Deasal I AM THANKFUL . . . FOR THE HUSBAND WHO COMPLAINS WHEN HIS DINNER IS NOT ON TIME, BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME, NOT WITH SOMEONE ELSE. FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES, BECAUSE THAT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME AND NOT ON THE STREETS. FOR THE TAXES THAT I PAY, BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I AM EMPLOYED. FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY, BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS. FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG, BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT. –Joli BOOK SIGNING–Dave Hough has written a safe riding column for a magazine calledMotorcycle Consumer News (888-333-0354) for 20 or 25 years now. Dave hasfinally compiled all these years of data and created a book called”Proficient Motorcycling.” You can bring your own copy of one or all ofhis books for signing or you can buy his new work for $25 and hewill autograph it for you. The Skagit HOG meeting will be at the Royal Fork in Mt. Vernon on the first Sundayof the month at 9 a.m.. That means that May 6 is their meeting andwill leave after the meeting at approxiamtely 11 a.m. We could meet themthere or at another location on 20 west of Burlington. The Royal Forkis easy to find. Take the College Avenue exit off of I-5, go west to T, turnnorth and it’s about two blocks up on the right. They have breakfastduring their meeting. We will meet Dave (ETA 2:30 p.m.) at Old Ft. Worden, which is in Pt. Townsend,Wash. It is a pre-WWI fort that is now a state park. They filmed”Officer and a Gentleman” there.I will check on the ferry schedule for Keystone to Pt.Townsend. I am informed by Patrick that you will need $5 for theferry.The Vancouver and Delta HOG Chapters will meet at the first rest areabelow the border on I-5 at 9 a.m. All are welcome.Being a BMW freak, Dave Hough has requested we invite BC Beemers along.We have done more than that, we have invited all of BCCOM. All arewelcome. RAY EPPERHART’S BUELL–This is Ray Epperhart from SW Cycles, SS 27, Las Vegas 10-98. Thought you’d like another Buell shot. It’s a neat one. I like the colors and the way the smoke sticks to the tire. I stayed home from work today and got some pictures printed. I’m still on a learning curve with my printer, but I discovered a lot about it today. I’ve got a book of 8-by-10 ink jet printouts of some of my better pictures to take with me to the races. –Helen Wolfe On to Page 2
Bald-Butt Racing
Carver, Ore.
Lonnie Essex
Lake Ridge, Va.
Brian Curlin
Rising Sun, Ind.
Don Lawrence
Belle Plaine, Kan.
Allan Eby
Austin, Texas
MC
Omaha, Neb.
Ted Babolcsay
Elizaville, N.Y.
Greg Hall
Richmond, Va.
