February 19, 2004 Part 4

BIKERNET NEWS ALERT–MESA SPORTSTER, HAWAIIAN BUILD-OFF A SUCCESS AND THE PABLO REPORT

Continued From Page 3

BIKERNET HISTORY LESSON– The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.

Why was that gauge used? Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US Railroads.

Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.

Why did “they” use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts,

which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.

The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. And bureaucracies live forever. So the next time you are handed a spec and told we have always done it that way and wonder what horse’s ass came up with that, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman war chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war horses.

Now the twist to the story…

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Morton-Thiokol at their factory in Utah.

The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s butt.

BIKERNET RETIREMENT INTERVIEW– Reporters interviewing a 104 year-old woman: “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” the reporter asked.

She simply replied, “No peer pressure.”

–from Rev CarlR

BIKERNET TECH DEPARTMENT–We recently posted part 5 in the Goliath build. Check it out, but I ran these Harley Manual illustrations for anyone rushing to complete a bike for bike week. Might help run those oil lines. –Bandit

FLYIN’ HIGH A Harley-Davidson flag now flies above Mt. Everest in Nepal, over 29,000 feet high in the Himalayan mountains, as Hiroyuki Okouchi, an employee of the Tanashi Harley-Davidson dealership in Tokyo, Japan, carried the flag to the top of the peak to help commemorate the Motor Company?s 100th anniversary.

BIKERNET LIBRARY RULES–A man goes into a library and asks for a book on suicide.

The librarian says;”Fuck off, you won’t bring it back.”

–from Ray R.

BIKERNET TERRORIST ALERT–WARNING HIGH–Recently we have received credible intelligence that there have beenseven terrorists working in your office. Six of the seven have beenapprehended. Bin Sleepin, Bin Loafin, Bin Goofin, Bin Lunchin, BinDrinking and Bin Ass-Kissin, have all beentaken into custody.

At this time, no one fitting the description of the seventh cellmember, Bin Workin, has been found at your office. We are confident thatanyone who looks like he’s Bin Workin will bevery easy to spot.

You are OBVIOUSLY not a suspect at this time. So keep on doing what youBin Doing.

–from Rev CarlR

Tattoo by David Rogerson

ROGUE BAD COP FILES– Cop among 4 arrested in parking lot brawl Massachusetts – Closing time at a local bar over the weekend erupted into a parking-lot melee, ending with the arrest of four people, including an off-duty Westwood cop who has been placed on administrative leave.

Police from six area towns responded when the fights erupted at the American Athletic Club early Saturday morning.

Detail officers working at the AAC called for outside help just before 2 a.m., after employees tried to break up a fist fight on the dance floor between Ricky Tomasello, 28, of Canton and another man, police said.

The parking lot outside the East Main Street bar was even worse, detail officers said.

“The parking lot crowd was out of control,” Sgt. David Sacco said in a police report. “I estimate, at one point, at least 25-30 people were involved in some kind of physical altercation.”

Inside, Tomasello and an unidentified man — for whom police are now seeking an arrest warrant — parted as the crowd moved toward the door, police said, only for the other man to fight with a man identified as Westwood Police Officer Ryan McCarthy.

Bad Cop… No Doughnut!

–from Rogue

CLUB TRIAL FALLING APART–A major Winnipeg trial involving members and associates of the Hells Angels could be in jeopardy.

This after a bombshell letter from the province’s top crown attorney questioning tactics and conduct of Winnipeg police officers when dealing with informants.

The prosecutor goes as far as to suggest the officers may have committed criminal acts.

Jay Prober is one of the defense lawyers in the case.”We want to know how long the crown has had this information. We want to know how many police officers are involved. We want to know who the police officers are,” says Prober. “We would like to know what is the misconduct that constitutes unethical conduct, breach of police internal policy, breach of the charter and may be criminal in nature.”

The five men accused in the case have been behind bars for almost two years.

They face a total of 36 charges, ranging from witness intimidation to conspiracy to commit murder. outlaw news:

–from Rogue

Photo by Jim Russi

BUILD-OFF IN HAWAII A MAJOR SUCCESS– We’re back from Honolulu where Arlen and Corey Ness led 1000 bikers around Oahu to the Hard Rock Cafe for the contest. Led by a 450 pound Polynesian biker carrying the BBO trophy high, Lei bedecked Arlen and Corey astride their super choppers thundered to the podium. I opened the sealed envelope in which was the tally of the votes cast by the thousands who’d attended the event and presented the trophy to Corey Ness. It was a fantastically successful event…thanks to the work of your buds, Deacon and Chris.

–Hugh KingDirector/co-producerBiker-Build-off series

DAYTONA ALERT–3RD POLICE SHOOTING THIS YEAR–PALM BAY — Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating a Tuesday evening incident in which Palm Bay police shot and wounded a man.

It was the third police shooting in Brevard County this year: One each also took place in Melbourne and West Melbourne. One suspect has been killed.

BY LOURDES BRIZ,FLORIDA TODAY

–from Rogue

DAYTONA DEBATES BAR HOURS– DAYTONA BEACH — Members of the public can tell the City Commission tonight whether the city should allow the sale of alcohol at bars, nightclubs and restaurants after 2 a.m.In a preliminary 4-3 vote two weeks ago, commissioners agreed to stop alcohol sales one hour earlier than the current 3 a.m. limit, with some exceptions.Extended sales would be allowed for New Year’s Eve, July 4, Labor Day, Speed Weeks, Bike Week and Biketoberfest.

Alcohol sales are prohibited after 2 a.m. in other Volusia County cities, although the county has similar exceptions for sales until 3 a.m. on special events and holidays.

–from Rogue

STURGIS MAIN STREET 1984–A reader from S&C sent this shot of Sturgis just 20 years ago.

MEMBERS FOUND DEAD–Three members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club Nomads have been found dead in a stream in the southern Dutch town of Echt. The victims had reportedly suffered multiple gunshot wounds, but police on Monday dismissed concerns of a gang war.

The male victims have been identified as 54-year-old P. de V. from Geleen, 34-year-old S. W. from Nieuwstadt and the 33-year-old C. P. from Geldrop. The oldest victim was the president of the Oirsbeek-based Nomads.

Police said on Monday the deaths did not indicate a gang war had started, but admitted a motive for the murders was not yet known. No revenge actions were expected and police have not increased surveillance of the Hells Angels group.

Despite this, German police are monitoring two clubhouses in Viersen and Willich, news agency ANP reported over the weekend.

They were last seen at about 8.30pm on 11 February in front of the Nomads clubhouse. Family members reported two of the victims as missing last Friday morning. The first body was found at about 10am on Friday and the other two were discovered on Friday night.

The men are expected to be buried in the Nomads grave in the southern city of Sittard. The funeral will be held on Wednesday and Hells Angels members from across the globe are expected to attend.

–from Rogue

The real wet t-shirt–Rogue

BAD COP INVESTIGATION CONTINUES– Ex-Fed gets 12 years for molesting 6-yr-old girl Texas – A retired FBI agent with a history of molesting children was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl in 2002 at his Southlake home.

John H. Conditt Jr., 53, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child in October. His punishment came after a four-month pre-sentencing investigation.

Under cross-examination Thursday morning, Conditt testified that he may have molested the girl, whom he knew, more than 10 times before she told her father and Child Protective Services about it. Her father and mother are also FBI agents.

TWO SAUDI’S MOVED TO AMERICA– Two Saudi’s moved to America with their families. One moved to New York, and the other moved to Level Plains, Alabama.

While they were beingprocessed at immigration, they made a pact that one year from their arrival date they would meet and see which one best assimilated into the American culture.

One year later, they met for breakfast in Atlanta. The first man said, “Well my friend, my son plays in the Little League, my wife is a Girl Scout leader, my daughter is a cheerleader at her high school, and I ate a Big Mac for lunch yesterday.”

The guy from Level Plains took a bite of his grits and responded, “Fuck You Rag Head.”

THE PABLO REPORT– My Compadre in Mesa sent me some pic of this bike in progress. Big S&S engine, Rowe rubber mount frame. It has a modified Buell front end/fork. Carbon fiber rear fender. The bike will featuring his cool Sportster stuff made at BlackMagic Motorsports.

Here are some pic of John’s belt drive. The S&S Sportster will also be sporting a EMC Super Charger. It mounts on the left side. Shifting linkage is internal and mounts to the forward controls. Very clean and very cool.