Sturgis is just around the corner.I’m putting miles on the Shovelhead everyday. It rides like a champ for a rigid. No shit, over railroad tracks it’s a breeze. Tracks dead straight, handles light with the Paughco frame, tapered leg springer, and sprung seat. I’d love to weigh this beast. I’m hoping for 450.
There’s been a couple of other impending, threatening deadlines looming over the Bikernet Headquarters, then last weekend the LA Calendar show shook the Queen Mary. Terrific show. We’ll add more categories and more awards for next year. It was a killer SoCal day, and the girls were as hot as the sun. Jim G. had 20 percent more vendors so the industry was represented and the bikes came from all over the states and even Hawaii. We had five island riders hanging out at the Bikernet Headquarters.
Back to the deadlines. I promised to make the best of show trophy for the Run For Breath in Charlotte, N.C. this weekend. Between the mags, the Sturgis Chop and events I ran behind. But then a notion came to mind and in a couple of hours I had the basis for a killer trophy only to fuck it up. Jim Murillo of Jim?s Cycle Paint In Gardena, volunteered to set some time aside to paint it, but he didn’t like the way I positioned the tank, so he cut it apart, tossed my rusting English original Peanut tank in the trash and grabbed a blasted one that was primered and ready to rock. Here’s the final outcome.
We shipped it this morning. Fuck. The shipping for overnight costs more than the price to build another one. We bobbed and weaved, but it’s shipped and on it’s way.
Next I volunteered to make a Bandit Belt Buckle for the Crazy Horse Raffle effort. It’s third prize coupled with a Murga Stingray Belt. As it turned out I stumbled onto a couple of hours yesterday and fired the torch. It still needs to be polished, but it’s ready to rock. See, I rode the Shovel to Settle’s Motorcycle Works in Harbor City. Larry Settle is an old school bike shop. Nuts and bolts, engine rebuilds and a paint booth. He trued my wheels, balanced them, packed the bearings and checked the bearing end play. I’m getting closer on a daily basis. Let’s hit the news:
STROKERS DALLAS DOES STURGIS–Hi ya’ll, I have a new TV show called TEXAS HARDTAILS. It premiers on Tuesday June 28th. It’s on the SPEED Channel & it will be on every Tuesday @ 8:30pm ET & PT. My show is not your typical OCC or BBO. My show is more like Seinfeld. It’s a spoof on me & all the crazy stuff that happens around here. It’s a tongue in cheek kinda deal. It’s basically “Bikes Babes & Beer”. I hope ya’ll like it. Let me know what you think after ya’ll see it.
Also, I am setting up STROKERS STURGIS this year. We will be recreating my shop/beer joint in Sturgis. We will be at Thunder Road, which is directly across the street from the Full Throttle. We are having our Hamster BBQ there on Saturday night August the 6th to pay tribute to the Man Himself – ARLEN NESS. During the day we will host different bike shows inside the Thunder Dome. I will have Bikini Beer Girls selling Ice Cold Beer both inside & outside. Live music everyday & vendors set up outside. But, one of the cool things I’m doing is I want 1 or 2 display bikes from all the major players in the industry (which is ya’ll).
I want to have one place where people can come see bikes from Arlen, Kim Suter, Matt Hotch, Paul Yaffe, Don Hotop, etc…etc… I will line the bikes up side by side around the inside of the Thunder Dome. We have plenty of security & the bike (s) will need to be there most of the week. So, any of ya’ll that want to display a cool custom, please give me a call @ 214.357.0707 or on my cell @ 972.567.4427. Or call me if you want to rent vendor space out front. We have already signed up Kim Suter, Milwaukee Iron & the boys from OCC. At night we rent out the Thunder Dome for Industry parties like the one we are having for Arlen on Saturday.
On Wednesday American IronHorse is having a dealer get together there. It will be cooler than having a party at a hotel ballroom. Music, beer babes & bikes all around with plenty of motorcycle atmosphere. So, if any of ya’ll are interested in renting the place for an industry party, let me know. Sorry this is so long.
C-Ya soon,
–Rick Fairless
BIKERNET READER’S KING–Been a reader for 4 years now on Bikernet, wrote you about 2.5 years ago and told you about the king I was rebuilding (started a 2000 Classic), and gave Jose lip about making fun of baggers. Well, after 2 jobs, a pile of money, and a lot of late nights learning how to tig, fab, machining, milling, electrical, and heavily modify a twin cam motor, I’m done.
I am attatching a couple of pics I took the other night, some of the work done is:
* Stretched the stock EFI tank 4.5″, and recoated the inside, pop up caps, hand made console
* Hand fabbed rear and front fenders, split down the middle and re-welded to fit perfectly
* Polished 95″ motor, rebuilt and bulletproofed to 122lbs of torque (good for travelling, and parts are replaceable on the road with reasonable mileage, but man it pulls like a a bull)
* Lowered 3″ front and back, with Legends air ride adjustable rear end
*Perse front end, with single side brake, hydraulic clutch, etc. from Jaybrake
* 21″x3.5″ front and 18×5.5″ PM Wrath wheels with 180 rear tire AND 1.5″ belt (I custom made the swing arm to bullet proof standards for hard launches, and 2 up riding), 2 piece rotors, etc. etc.
Dakota digital, Wimmer, blah, blah, the list and bill goes on. Took me a long time to learn all of this stuff, but I did it for myself, regardless of the looks and compliments. Most of the parts had to be modified for this chassis, etc. There aren’t many parts for the touring bikes out there like this.
At the risk of sounding mushy, after all of the late weeknights, weekends in the shop, etc. I would like to show my wife that what I did might be considered somewhat unique in the eyes of others who understand bikes, and although she may not quite ‘get it’ that something pretty cool came out of all of this hard work. Could you list a pic etc. on the site, or refer me to a mag that might like to do a feature on a hot rodded touring bike so I can show her .
Ride safe – Tobin.
BIKERNET HELPS ALL READERS?–I’m in need of a left threaded bolt for my weed wacker.1 inch – 3/8 diameter – 16 threads per inch.
The new head I bought came with three different size bolts and none of them fitmy weed wacker.Ive been to seven different hardware stores with no luck.So, I’ve turned to the internet for help.Let me know if you have such a bolt and the cost.
Thank you,
Howard Stover
393 North Mechanic Street
Fredericksburg, Penna 17026
“KellysKC” kellyskc@lmf.net
DEPARTURE BIKE WORKS NEWS–:Lee wanted me to shoot you some information on our upcoming events so that you could post them on Bikernet for us when you get the opportunity. I don’t know what kind of format helps you best, as a matter of fact you could probably just put a link to the events page of our website, I don’t know. You just let me know what you need…
July 30th, 2005: Departure’s 2nd Annual “No Class” bike show. Held at the shop, Registration is from 11am -1pm.
Saturday, OCTOBER 8th, 2005- We are having our open house. Plenty of food, music, specials… etc.
Sunday, OCTOBER 16th, 2005- Our 2nd Annual Travis Clemens Memorial Run, Leaving from the Shop.
–Justin Kerzanet
DBW
THE GIRLS BIKE OF THE WEEK– This is Chelsea from Gilby’s. Chase Deacon told me you might be able to help me out. I got a 98 wide glide we customized this past winter. We have been to a few shows this spring and have had great response. Arlen and Cory Ness saw it in Green Bay at the 1st Annual Midwest Cyclemania Show. Arlen said “I love the lines, I love the color.” The bike is built by Todd Gilbertson, a.k.a. Gilby. Everything is done in shop. The tank and side panels are all hammer formed. Fenders, handlebars, floorboards, pretty much everything has been fabricated by Gilby. All paint and pinstriping is also done by Gilby. Just so you know this isn’t our first bike, and wont be the last. Please let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you.
–Chelsea: (715) 425-9322
THE BIKERNET VINTAGE CAR RACE EFFORT CONTINUES–’53 Lincoln Capri and Cosmopolitan now has two sponsors, Amsoil lubricants and an individual, but we need a handful more.
Lincoln seemed to go a different way in 1952. Introducing an entirely new body style, much more sporting, which would be copied by Pontiac in 1955. A new ball joint front suspension and a completely fresh engine design, done from a clean sheet of paper. It was a properly designed overhead valve V8 of 317ci. At 20 cubic inches less than the previous engine it put out 8 more horsepower, being rated at 160.
Only one wheelbase was offered and Lincoln split the difference between the two used from ’49-’51. Nineteen fifty-two’s would stretch to 123. Somewhat on the small side for the largest Lincoln offering, but this, combined with the ball joint suspension would make these excellent performers. Not exactly what a Lincoln had represented, they nonetheless were quite successful in racing. A club even exists today celebrating the cars, The Road Race Lincolns. Our car is registered with them.
These great cars especially excelled in the Pan American Road races. A 4 speed “Hydramatic” transmission was made standard and it would not be until the 2000 Lincoln LS that a Lincoln would again be available with a manual transmission.
Two trim levels were available. The Cosmopolitan was now the less expensive and the Capri was the top of the line. Weight was about 4200 lbs and an average price was $3300.
Since Johnny Boyd first twanged it out in 1960, and Commander Cody passed it to a new generation some 15 years later, it has been applied to everything from a primered Model A to the forgotten LSC coupe of the Eighties. But the real, honest Hot Rod Lincoln was actually a series of remarkably stock Lincoln Capri hardtops that pulled Ford out of a self-imposed exile from racing that had lasted more than 15 years.
It was a glorious return for Ford, as a factory Lincoln-Mercury team eventually rose to dominance in the “La Carrera Panamericana”, the fabled Mexican Road Race, the very last of the great long-distance competitions to be contested on public highways in North America.
In 1952 and ’53, Lincolns finished first through fourth in the race’s stock car division. Chuck Stevenson won both times, with Smith as co-driver. The 1954 race was won by Ray Crawford in a privately entered Lincoln, prepared by Stroppe, with Walt Faulkner second in a factory car. The other team cars dropped out, either through accidents or mechanical problems.
Tech Info
The all-new Lincoln was launched in 1952 and was built through ’54, and it had the brand new engine to replace the dated Flathead V8. The new 317ci (5.2-litre) unit was extremely smooth, thanks to eight crankshaft counterbalances where most V8s had just six, plus it was easily tuned. The new car also had a very stiff chassis, with six crossmembers on the separate frame, making the car’s new MacPherson strut suspension work well and improving the model’s durability. In its inaugural year the Capri took the Carrera Panamericana in first, second, third and fourth places, then did the same the following year, but just first and second places in 1954. But the Capri boasted more than performance as it also has power-operated leather seats, power windows, power steering and brakes, and even a Hydramatic transmission. In 1956 the car was dramatically restyled; production fell by 50 percent.
This Capri, which won the event’s final running in 1954, was the race’s top-finishing stock car, albeit in the hands of an unheralded privateer who hung on after Lincoln’s factory juggernaut came to grief.Our car is a car that was manufactured in 1953 and consequently would have raced in ’54. It is painted in the same color scheme as the winning car.It participated successfully in the 2000 Panamericana and has been completely overhauled with a full roll cage, 5-point harnesses, Porsche seats. All mechanicals have been redone. The electrics are 12 volt and up to racing standards. All work was done to modern standards, yet kept according to the rules, so that the car still qualifies to run in the “Original Panam” class!! Very few cars qualify for this!
Ball and Christian Reichardt have been on the road for a number of trips, some of these lasting several weeks. Albeit mostly on Harleys, they are road-tested and have proven themselves to be a tough crew.We are currently looking for Sponsorship for this years event. Please see the website for www.LaCarreraPanamericana.com for info on this awesome road race. One of the last adventures in the motor world, the race lasts1 week and runs straight all the way through Mexico, from the bottom to the top on the same route it did in 1954.
Full Sponsor will receive placement on the car’s trunk and sidepanels: $10,000
Partial sponsor doors and hood: $5,000
Supporter: the rest $1000We are looking forward to have the artist put your company’s logo and artwork prominently onto this adventure!!
–Dr. Hamster
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