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LOS ANGELES CALENDAR BIKE SHOW REPORT–While past LA Calendar Bike Shows are usually just regular American Thunder features throughout the year, the 2001 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show’s scheduled appearance this last August 14th, just three weeks after the event, indicates the show’s continued growth in importance in the industry and among fans.
From the premier of the hottest new custom bike creations from America’s top builders to the first public appearance of Harley-Davidson’s new milestone V-Rod performance cruiser, Speedvision’s timely broadcast of the Hot Bike Presents The White Brothers Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show event confirms it as one of the most popular and important streetbike shows in America!
Look for additional coverage of this year’s show on other Speedvision programing, and on ESPN2’s Motorcycle Week.And stop by our Web site to read our official story of the 2001 show, to see the bike contest and Dyno Shootout results, and to see a great selection of pictures.
BANDIT VS. BAMBI SCORES–Score: Animals 1, Go Fast Bikers On Shiny Buells, 0
Doe: A deer, a female deer
Ray: A pocketful of sun
Me: A name I – Goddamnit, that looks like a…!!?!!
Get well. And remember…a journey of a thousand miles can be stopped deadin its tracks by one dumber than a box of rocks Bambi.
–JS
P.S. We’re enjoying the last hunk of venison summer sausage put up by aNatchez friend of ours. Ground and cured from the largest buck ever takenin the county, one he shot in his back yard with a bow from the back porch,and well within the city limits. That’s my Zen for the day.
INTERESTING QUOTES– “Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean, I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.” —Mariah Carey
WORLD BIKERS ARRIVE IN VANCOUVER–Around-the-world motorcyclist arrived in Vancouver on Aug. 7.Simon Milward, a 36-year-old Briton, arrived by ferry from PrinceRupertbecause his engine was about to blow up. BC Ferries sponsored the ridetosave him a few thousand km. He recently crossed to Anchorage AlaskafromMagadan in Russia’s extreme NorthEast.
Milward left England on Jan. 1, 2000, and Canada is the 29th country on his global adventure.He has ridden 76,000 km through Europe, the MiddleEast, South Asia, Indonesia, Australia, Southeast Asia,Japan and Russia.
Some memorable experiences en route include amarriage proposal at Cairo’s pyramids, meeting theDalai Lama in India, escaping marauding militants inTimor, serious accidents in Saudi Arabia, Nepal andthe Australian Outback, riding through the front linesof a civil war in Laos and, most recently, nearlydrowning on Russia’s flooded Road of Bones.
There is a serious side to Milward’s trip of a lifetime.He aims to raise $100,000 (U.S.) for two medical aid charities.One is Doctors Without Borders, which recently wonthe Nobel Peace Prize. The other is Health for All, specializing inhealthcare delivery to out-of-reachAsian regions by economical motorcycle. His primary aim in NorthAmericais to find sponsorship for 12motorcycles for use in a new project in Indonesian Flores. Thisintroducesa proven African idea to Asia.Yamaha has kindly offered a 30 percent discount at $1,000 per motorcycle. Thevalue of medical aid sponsorship he has raised so far is nearly$26,000.
Milward’s motorcycle, the John T. Overlander, was handmade in the UK in1999 from 90 percent donated parts and equipment. It uses a 600cc singlecylinderengine from Austria, a huge, 45-liter Italian fuel tank, and aFrench Internet tracking system.
As former general secretary of the Federation of European MotorcyclistsAssociations, Milward has beeninvited to address several North American conferences on the subjectof global motorcyclists’ rights.Companies and organizations donating sums larger than $100 are entitledtoa sticker on the bike and a linkon the Internet. Individuals donating $30 receive a special pin badge and regular en route e-mail updates.
Donations can be made via www.millennium-ride.com, or if you see astrangelooking bike on the continent’s highways, flag him down, thrust somedollars in his face and demand a badge.
North American sponsors so far include the South Suburban Chapter ofABATEof Illinois, American Motorcyclist Association, Canadian MotorcycleAssociation, North American Motorcycle Union, Harley-Davidson and Tesoro, the petrol distributor.
SOMETHING ABOUT FRIENDS– A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it,he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, “Excuse me, where are we?” “This is Heaven, sir,” the man answered.
“Wow! Would you happen to have some water?” the man asked.
“Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.” The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
“Can my friend,” gesturing toward his dog, “come in, too?” the traveler asked.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.”
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside,leaning against a tree and reading a book.
“Excuse me!” he called to the reader. “Do you have any water?”
“Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there” The man pointed to a place that couldn’t be seen from outside the gate. “Come on in.”
“How about my friend here?” the traveler gestured to the dog.
“There should be a bowl by the pump.”
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
“What do you call this place?” the traveler asked.
“This is Heaven,” was the answer.
“Well, that’s confusing,” the traveler said. “The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.”
“Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.”
“Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?”
“No. I can see how you might think so, but we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who’ll leave their best friends behind.”
FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS–A man who worked for the fire department came home from work one day and told his wife, “We really have a wonderful system at the fire depaartment.
Bell 1 rings, we all put on our coats.
Bell 2 rings and we all slide down the pole.
Bell 3 rings and we are on the truck ready to go.
“From now on we are going to run this house the same way. When I say:
Bell 1, you strip naked.
Bell 2, you jump into bed.
Bell 3, we are going to make love all night.”
The next night when he came home from work and yelled:
Bell 1, she took off her clothes.
Bell 2, she jumped into bed.
Bell 3, they began to make love.
After a few minutes she yelled “Bell 4.”
He said, “What the hell is Bell 4?”
“MORE HOSE” she responded, “YOU AIN’T NOWHERE NEAR THE FIRE.”
HOT OFF THE PRESS–?The 2000-2001 Darwin Awards Are Here! ?The DarwinAwards, for those not familiar, are for those individuals who contribute tothe survival of the fittest by eliminating themselves from the gene poolbefore they have a chance to breed.
?A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply,because he had no money with which to buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. ?Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into thefireplace in his house. ?This resulting explosion and fire burned his housedown, killing both him and his sister.
NCOM COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS–Compiled and Edited byBILL BISH,NATIONAL COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS
BIKERS? DRESS CODE CASE GOES TO HIGHER COURT Trial dates have beenpostponed for 12 bikers challenging Carson City, Nevada’s courthouse dresscode which bans biker attire while lawyers argue about the constitutionalityof the policy in a higher court, reported the July 24, 2001, edition of TheReno Gazette-Journal.
The bikers were to go to trial in Carson City Justice Court onmisdemeanor trespass charges after they refused to leave the public buildingbecause of their leather jackets and biker vests, some of which sportedpatches featuring the swastika symbol.
Dating winner.
AS BICYCLE HELMET USE INCREASES, SO DO HEAD INJURIES While millions ofparents take it as an article of faith that putting a bicycle helmet on theirchildren or themselves will help keep them out of harm’s way, new data onbicycle accidents raises questions about how safe helmets really are.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of headinjuries has increased 10 percent since 1991, even though bicycle helmet usehas risen sharply, and in many cases is required by law. But given thatridership has declined over the same period, the rate of head injuries peractive cyclist has increased 51 percent just as bicycle helmets have becomewidespread.
So, what is going on here? asked writer Julian E. Barnes in a July 29article in The San Diego Union-Tribune. Almost none of the safetyadvocates interviewed for the story suggested that riders should stop wearinghelmets, which researchers say can reduce the severity of brain injuries byas much as 88 percent, but still, with fewer people riding bicycles, expertsare mystified as to why injuries are on the rise.
”It’s puzzling to me that we can’t find the benefit of bike helmetshere,” said Ronald L. Medford, the assistant executive director of thesafety commission’s hazard identification office. They believe that the increased use of bike helmets may have had anunintended consequence: riders may feel an inflated sense of security andtake more risks.
Helmets may create a sort of daredevil effect, making cyclists feel sosafe that they ride faster and take more chances, said Mayer Hillman, asenior fellow emeritus at the Policy Studies Institute in London.
BIKER JUDGE CHASES FLEEING DRIVER?Santa Clara County Superior CourtJudge Robert “Bud” Ambrose was breaking in his new Harley-DavidsonDeuce recently when he saw an odd sight ? a damaged car driving by withonly three functioning tires.?
Ambrose didn’t realize the driver of that car was a suspect in a recenthit-and-run accident.? But when the driver, a 52-year-old woman, pulled upbehind some cars stopped at a red light, then looped around them intooncoming traffic, Ambrose felt he had to do something.
The judge-in-leathers revved his 2-week-old blue bike and chased thedriver for several miles. He pursued close behind as she raced through the streets of San Jose,Calif., weaving in and out of traffic at speeds from 30 to 60 mph.
The woman, who later told an officer she was on medication, collidedwith five drivers before and during the chase, according to the San JoseMercury News.?Two people were injured and a host of other drivers andpedestrians were sent scrambling for safety.
STURGIS MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM HONORS HALL OF FAMERS On Aug. 8, theSturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame hosted its first annual inductionbreakfast during Sturgis Bike Week to honor 13 men and women who willbe inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Among those who have contributed so much to our sport and lifestyle arethree members of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, including UnitedStates Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and South Dakota State Sen. JimPutnam, who are both members of the NCOM Legislative Task Force, and FrankErnst, a member of the NCOM board of directors and state director of ABATE ofMinnesota.
Other inductees are South Dakota Gov. William Janklow, Jim Betlach,David Perewitz, Neil Hultman, Eddie Miller and family, Penny Walker, Tom Rudd,Woody Carson, Genevieve Schmitt and Indian Jeff.
The Sturgis Museum also announced that it will establish a permanentregister in the museum titled “Outstanding Freedom Fighters of our Time.” According to museum director Bob Illingworth, “The mission of theSturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame is to preserve the great historyof motorcycling and to honor the men and women who have made motorcyclingwhat it is today. There is a group of people however that have been somewhatoverlooked when the honors and accolades are handed out, and it is our goalto rectify this situation and recognize the contributions and sacrificesthose outstanding individuals made in the course of protecting the rights andfreedoms of motorcyclists everywhere.”
Procedures and rules for the Freedom Fighters Wall will be announced inthe near future on the museum?s Web site,www.sturgismotorcyclemuseum.org.???????
“SURVIVOR” FINALIST GETS NEW HARLEY — Tina Wesson got her $1 million,Colby Donaldson is picking out a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which Tinais buying for him, and CBS has 36.4 million reasons to be thankful for the”Survivor” reality series. That?s how many people tuned in for the finalepisode of the Outback “Survivor,” according to Nielsen Media Research.
Wesson, a 40-year-old nurse from Knoxville, Tenn., won the bigprize by being the ultimate survivor, but had secretly made a priorarrangement with Colby that whoever won would buy the other a motorcycle. Inaddition to the new scoot, the 39-year-old Texan also won $100,000 and asport utility vehicle for winning the final reward challenge.
MAN STABBED TO PREVENT DRUNK RIDING– A Georgia man took the “FriendsDon?t Let Friends Drive Drunk” credo a bit too far recently when hereportedly stabbed his drunken friend in the back to stop him from ridinghome on his motorcycle.
Sheriff’s deputies in Aiken County, Georgia, say Benjamin Sharpe willbe charged with assault and battery with intent to kill.
Officers say the 47-year-old told them he didn’t want his friend to ridehis motorcycle while under the influence. Robert Wheeler, 39, is recovering in the Medical College of GeorgiaHospital, reports the Augusta Chronicle.
QUOTABLE QUOTES– ”The establishment is made up of little men, veryfrightened.”Lawyer, Former Congresswoman Bella Abzug
EXECUTIVE QUANTRY–An executive was in quandary. He had to get rid of one of his staff. Hehad ?narrowed it down to one of two people, Debra or Jack.
It would be a hard decision to make, as they were both equally qualified and both didexcellent work. He finally decided that in the morning whichever one used the water cooler first would have to go.
Debra came in the next morning, hugely hung over after partying all night.She went to the cooler to get some water to take an aspirin and theexecutive approached her and said: “Debra, I’ve never done this before, but I haveto lay you or Jack off.”
Debra replied, “Could you jack off, I have a terrible headache.”
BANDIT’S CANTINA GIRLS–The crew of the cantina is trying to find an odd selection of artistic females to dance the night away. There’s some already in the Cantina, along with an assortment of strange and unusual articles.
TNN TO AIR IHRA DRAG RACING SATURDAY AFTERNOONS TODRIVE RATINGS– President Bill Bader has announcedTNN, The National Network will air the 2001 IHRASummit Drag Racing Series Saturday afternoons,beginning Aug. 11.In 2000, the Summit Drag Racing Series aired on TNNlate Sunday nights and moves to a heavily promotedmotorsports block on Saturday afternoon.
“TNN and IHRA are improving coverage and drivingratings of the Summit Drag Racing Series by moving ourraces to Saturday afternoons,” Bader said. “Wesaw research that showed any programming running past11 p.m. loses viewers and the ratings drop off. Bypackaging IHRA with other popular motorsportsprogramming, such as “Horsepower TV” on Saturdayafternoon, the enthusiast will be able to make IHRAdestination television. The shows air on the hour,from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m., making it easier to attractand maintain viewers.”
The 2001 IHRA Summit Drag Racing Schedule on TNN is asfollows. All shows air from 2 p.m.-3 p.m. (EST).
Holley Spring Nationals,
Rockingham, N.C. Aug. 11
AC Delco Nationals, presented by
Chevrolet, Richmond, Va. Aug. 18
Mopar Parts Canadian Nationals
Grand Bend, Ontario Aug. 25
Amalie Oil Summer Nationals
Cordova, Ill. Sept. 1
CARQUEST Empire Nationals
Leicester, N.Y. Sept. 8
CARQUEST Northern Nationals
Stanton, Mich. Sept. 15
Mopar Parts World Nationals
Norwalk, Ohio Sept. 22
Amalie Oil North American Nats.
Epping, N.H. Sept. 29
CARQUEST President’s Cup
Budds Creek, Md. Oct. 6
CARQUEST Autumn Nationals
Rockingham, N.C. Oct. 13
Mopar Parts World Finals
Shreveport, La. Oct 20
Shootout Specials
Shreveport, La. Oct. 27
Contact: Jim Marchyshyn, director of communications(419) 663-6666, ext. 224jmarchy@ihra.com
See you at the CARQUEST Northern Nationals at MidMichigan Motorplex, July 27-29
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