Hey,
We’re scrambling through the news. It’s a good one and it’s been a strange day. We tried to dodge the phones, but no luck. Several important calls came it regarding Bonneville and bike projects. Some of our powder work will be completed tomorrow. I’m anxious to work on these bastards. Shit, we’re burnin’ daylight.
So let’s jump directly into the news. By the end, maybe I’ll calm down some and have something wild, wicked, or wanton to add. Let’s hope so:
BUNT’S GOES 400- BIG–Wellings Engineering, the Birmingham (United Kingdom) based prototype shop has released details of it’s latest project.the widest motorcycle rear tyre in the world! Measuring a massive 400mm the tyre incorporates the Wellings bike relatedtradename of Bunt’s as the tread pattern.
Not intended for production, the tyre is the latest example of the company’scapabilities to produce ultra realistic concept models. Says owner Syd Wellings, “Normally I produce working prototypes and concept models for the trade, but I had the urge to produce this item to demonstrate one of the wide range of materials I work with”. Although the tyre couldn’t be used on the street, it looks and feels like a real tyre. This particular tyre is destined for a Bunt’s concept bike wrapped around a trick, three-piece, carbon fibre/cast aluminium wheel.
Syd Wellings
Wellings Engineering
18 Wainwright Street
Aston
Birmingham
B6 5TJ
United Kingdom
tel : +44 (0)121 328 4400
fax : +44 (0)121 328 4433
e-mail : syd@wellings-eng.demon.co.uk
BILLY LANE VISITS TROOPS IN GERMANY–ARLINGTON, Va. – Custom bike builder Billy Lane will depart on his first USO tour to Germany June 30. During the six-day tour, Lane will spend time with service members and their families at Vogelweh Military Complex as well as participate in July 4th celebrations at Spangdahlem Air Force Base, Baumholder Army Base and Ramstein Air Base. This tour is co-sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment.
Lane has a long-standing respect for the armed forces. During a recent tour of bike rallies across the country, documented in the recently released DVD “Blood Sweat & Gears,” Lane gave custom bikes to four service members. In addition, he has written two books, “Chop Fiction” and “How to Build Old School Choppers and Bobbers.”
After graduating from college with a degree in mechanical engineering, Lane started working on motorcycles and making custom bike parts for his friends as gifts. The demand for Lane’s specialty parts led to the formation of Choppers Inc. in 1995. Lane’s bikes and parts also have been featured in numerous magazines and have won several awards. Lane holds 7 patents in the US.
Since 1941, USO celebrity entertainment has played an essential role in boosting troop morale. With a handshake, signed autograph or simple conversation, entertainers are conveying the thanks of a grateful nation. Some performers who have participated in recent USO tours include Master P and Lil’ Romeo, Toby Keith, Gary Sinise, Chely Wright, Montgomery Gentry and La Mafia. Tours are sponsored by AT&T, Inc., the official telecommunications sponsor of USO entertainment tours.
BILL WALL LEATHER NEW WEB SITE–Somehow you ended up on our VIP email list. This is the first time we have used it.We just launched a new website update that includes over 50 new items. Check it out at http://www.billwallleather.com… or not.
Cheers!
-Keith
BILL WALL LEATHER, INC.
PENCIL BANDIT ART FROM ENGLAND–Please find attached a pencil drawing of Mr K Randall “Bandit” Ball, taken from an image in an earlier Easy Rider magazine. Hope he likes my work ! If you want to view other pieces of my art please go to http://www.lazylivingstudios.com
I work hand in hand with Aardvark Choppers and we are both based in Northamptonshire, England. Fantastic magazine, easily the best on the market.
Keep up the good work
Regards – Kevin Ash
BILLY LANE RUMOR CONTROL–Bandit- Got any news on Billy Lane’s 3rd hublesschopper going up in flames at Laconia? Hope he wasn’thurt! That would suck!
Thanks man, and as always keepup the good work!
–Steve
We immediately contacted our East Coast Bikernet correspondent, TBear. Here’s his report. “Yes indeed-de-do.Seems that a weld on the gas tank may have cracked.I’ll be with Billy this weekend and I’ll try to get the true skinny.At lease no one was hurt, except maybe their pride.Such is life in the “Fast Lane”.
–Bandit
HAWAIIAN KUSTOM FAB REPORT–Wasn’t to sure if you were going to be in town, during the July 2nd show.Roger and I wanted to invite you and Nyla to our get together at theShop on Saturday July 1st. It will start around 6:00 PM. Just let us know ifyou will be able to make it, we are trying to put together a head count.
Also while I have you attention, we didn’t want to inconvenience you, butRoger and myself are planning to take the Fusion bike to the LA Calendarshow, and was wondering if we could stop over on that Saturday night beforethe show, and crash at shop.
P.S check out the newest, it not done in photo but it will be by the July2nd show.
–Darren
The Fusion bike, featured on Bikernet, will be housed at the Bikernet headquarters previous to the LA Calendar show. The crew from Kustom Fab will be trapped inside.–Bandit
DETROIT BIKER SURVEY–Hey Freedom Fighters…We are winning the Detroit News poll! Vote now! And call the Guv: 517-373-3400 Please respond to this Det. News survey at the web site below
www.detnews.com
And send the article from the News to all your friends who have open minds and ask them to vote too!Thanks Jim Rhoades for all your hard work. ABATE members be proud!
–Al (hawgman) Salmi
Legislative Officer, Region 17, ABATE of MI
Rapid River, MI
PARADISEBIKEFEST BIG MIKE GIVE-AWAY– Big Mike of BMC Choppers will give a away a custom built BMC rolling bobber chassis at Hawaiian Chopper Magazine’s Paradise BIkefest on Sunday, July 2nd. “Hawaii has a special place in my heart, so when Steve [Kalnasy] asked me to be a sponsor, giving away a rolling chassis seemed like a good way to get involved,” said Big Mike. Joining sponsors like Pasha Hawaii, Budweiser, Pacific Rim Cycle, Avon Tyres, all of Oahu’s Harley dealers, and a host of other local and national sponsors, Big Mike will be on hand for Hawaii’s largest bike rally.
Along with Big Mike, Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off winner Harold Pontarelli will be on hand for the weekend’s activities, and other well known celebrities, such as Monster Garage’s Big Schwag, The legendary Sugar Bear, the Chopper Freak Jose De Miguel, and Great Hawaiian Biker Build-Off competitors Roger Kuwahara of Hawaii’s Kustom Fab Choppers and Shannon Aikau of Las Vegas’ Count’s Kustoms will be on hand to show their bikes, and hang out.
Before the gates open at Kapiolani Community College at 12:00pm, a memorial ride will be held in honor of Johnny “Chop” Vasko, and Jimmy Aikau of Count’s Kustoms. Registration for the ride will begin at 7:30am on Sunday, July 2nd, and leave Cycle City Harley-Davidson at 9:00am for surfing legend Eddie Aikau’s memorial at Waimea Bay. After a brief ceremony (est. 10:00am), riders will head to KCC for a biker party that few will be able to forget.
A $15.00 entry fee ($10.00 advance) will be charged at the door, and anyone wishing to join either the ride-in bike show/contest, or tattoo contest can do so for a registration fee of $25.00 (includes entry into the event). Cool prizes wll be given away for the contests. We will also feature a bikini model search showing off some of the finest women in Hawaii, and live musical entertainment featuring the hard rockin rythyms of Hawaii’s own Big Dawg, and Big Head/Warner Bros. Records artist Kevin McKay of the Warren Commission will display some of the best harmonica every displayed.
If you are interested in registering for any of the contests, or you just want more info on the event, visit www.paradisebikefest.com, or call 808-780-2998.
Tickets are on sale at Pacific Rim Cycle, South Seas Harley-Davidson, Cycle City, Grumpy’s Kustoms, Kustom Fab Choppers, Rosa’s Ice Tee, Mikey’s Speed Shop, Military ticket outlets (Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Schofield Army Base), by phone at 808-550-TIKS (8457), or at www.honoluluboxoffice.com.
Hope to see you there!!!
Steve Kalnasy
Editor/Publisher
Hawaiian Chopper Magazine
BIKERNET DEVELOPS SPECIAL WELDING BENCH VISE–Sculpture Master, Jeff Decker, came by the shop and snooped in all the drawers. He nodded at a few things, with acceptance in his eyes, but when he saw the tilting vice on my welding table he stopped. “That’s a nice piece,” Jeff said. “It shouldn’t be used there or under a torch.”
That stuck in my mind, besides it was too small to handle most heavy jobs. So last weekend we built this job out of Donnie’s old lathe and milling machine brackets and another vice. It works even better, tilts and turns in any direction.-Bandit.
ESTOK AND BUELL DOMINATE ASRA THUNDERBIKE RACE AT TOPEKA– TOPEKA, Kan. (June 18, 2006) – Veatch Motorsports rider Dave Estok rode a Buell Firebolt XB12R to set the pole position, lead every lap and win the American SportBike Racing Association (ASRA) Thunderbike National at the Heartland Park Topeka road course. Ed Key finished second on a Suzuki, followed by Blue Springs H-D/Buell rider Walt Sipp, also aboard a Buell Firebolt.
Estok, the defending National Thunderbike champion, was top qualifier for the event with a lap of 1:48.335 on the newly repaved 2.5-mile Heartland Park Topeka Grand Prix Course. At the start of the 10-lap Thunderbike National, BMW rider Nate Kern grabbed the lead with Estok in pursuit. Estok passed Kern to lead the first lap and then rode away from the field.
Behind Estok, however, a fierce battle was waged by Hal’s H-D/Buell-Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky and H-D/Buell of Frederick rider Bryan Bemisderfer, both on Buell Firebolts, plus Kern and Key, as the four riders swapped positions for seven laps. Bemisderfer overcooked the entrance to Turn 1 on the second lap, rolling onto the paved run-off area, and then battled back through the field to rejoin the group racing for second position. Bilansky dropped out on lap seven with a mechanical problem, and Kern left the race on lap eight, also with a mechanical problem. On the ninth lap, while in second place, Bemisderfer crashed and fell at the entrance of the backstretch chicane. He managed to pick up and ride his Buell out of the muddy infield and get back on the track to finish the race in fifth.
“All the action was behind me today,” said Estok. “After the first lap, I just put my head down, and when I finally looked back, nobody was there. I really want to win this championship for Veatch Motorsports. And I feel like we’ve got some momentum going into VIR.”
Hal’s Speed Shop/Spyder Leatherworks.com rider Paul James rode a Buell Firebolt to fourth. Buell riders Greg Avello (Badger Motorsports/Hal’s Speed Shop), Sam Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop) and David Myers (Delta Dist./Wynn’s Pro Products) finished sixth, seventh and tenth respectively.
Buell racers also took four wins and 8 podium finishes during the Championship Cup Series support races at Heartland Park. Estok nabbed a win in CCS Expert Thunderbike, while Bemisderfer won in CCS Expert SuperTwins. Racine Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Thomas Michels won the CCS Amateur Lightweight F40 and Amateur SuperTwins classes with his Buell Cyclone M2. And on Friday, in the ASRA Team Challenge endurance event, Team Fat Boy riders James and Avello won the GT Lights class and finished seventh overall on a Firebolt XB9R.
With his fifth-place finish, Bemisderfer takes over the lead in Thunderbike season points from Kern. After four of eight races, Bemisderfer has 100 points, followed by Kern with 95, Estok with 94, and Bilansky with 85. The next race on the eight-round ASRA Thunderbike National schedule is June 24-25 at Virginia International Raceway near Alton, Va.
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES WITH “SCHOOLS OUT; OLD SKOOL, NEW SCHOOL, ALL(s)KOOL” MOTORCYCLE THEMED EXHIBIT TO BE HELD AT THUNDER ROAD, COINCIDING WITH STURGIS BIKE WEEK 2006–STURGIS, S.D.- The journey continues with Michael Lichter’s motorcycle themed art exhibition at Thunder Road in Sturgis S.D., coinciding with Sturgis Bike Week 2006, a gathering of several hundred thousand bikers in the Black Hills region of South Dakota each August. In the five previous years the exhibition has been held at the Journey Museum in Rapid City; the change of venues to Thunder Road will allow access to more motorcycle enthusiasts.
“School’s Out; Old Skool, New School, All(s)Kool,” will examine the often over-used terms “Old Skool” and “New School” with an art exhibit featuring custom motorcycles, as well as motorcycle themed photography and painting. 24 of the most widely recognized motorcycle builders in the industry will display bikes showcasing their individual approaches and innovative design ideas, which encompass both new and old school styling. The art on the walls will feature four artists closely tied to the motorcycle world. Timothy White will be exhibiting photography from his recent book on Indian Larry, art that reflects on their years of friendship, shared times in New York, and many road trips. Joe Richardson, who has painted many of Billy Lane’s customs, will be debuting a 15′ wide interactive sculpture along with some traditionally striped panels. Robert Pradke, who is known for the “chemical skin art” he has applied to many of Indian Larry’s bikes, will display pinstriping, flames, flakes, and candies applied to everything from metal to organic surfaces. Michael Lichter, who has been documenting the “biker lifestyle” in the pages of Easyriders magazine since the 1970’s will display photographic prints from his archive. Together, the bikes, photography, and painting in “School’s Out” will explore whether “Old Skool” and “New School” are still appropriate terms, or if the world of custom bike building has moved to a point where these styles have blended together, and the new mix is “All Kool”.
Motorcycle builders in the exhibit include, Aaron Greene (Paramount Customs,) Arlen Ness (Arlen Ness Enterprises, CA,) Bill Dodge (Blings Cycles, NJ,) Billy Lane (Choppers Inc., FL,) Brian Klock (Klockworks, SD,) Cory Ness (Arlen Ness Enterprises, CA,) Dave Perewitz (Cycle Fab, MA,) Donnie Smith (Donnie Smith Custom Cycles, MN,) Eddie Trotta (Thunder Cycles, FL,) Hank Young (Young Choppers and Hotrods, GA,) Indian Larry (an original Indian Larry custom, NY,) Indian Larry Legacy (Paul Cox & Keino Sasaki, NY,) Jerry Covington (Covington’s Cycle City, OK,) Kendall Johnson (Kendall Johnson Customs, NC,) Kim Suter (K. C. Creations, KS,) Kirk Taylor (Custom Design Studios, CA,) Mark Warrick (Soncy Road Speed & Custom, TX,) Michael Prugh (Independent Cycle Inc., SD,) Paul Yaffe (Paul Yaffe Originals, AZ,) Roland Sands (Roland Sands Design Inc., CA,) Steve Broyles (Stevenson’s Cycle, MI,) Twisted Choppers (Jason Kangas & Kai Morrison, SD,) Vince Doll (Redneck Engineering, SC,) and Warren Lane (The Neighborhood King, FL.)
Michael Lichter’s past exhibitions like Kick Start (’03,) Bob’s Back (’04,) and Speed Demons (’05,) at the Journey Museum, were very successful and covered by many US motorcycle publications including Easyriders, American Iron, V-Twin, Thunder Press, many foreign publications and newspapers. Past exhibits were also featured on television on the Discovery Channel, Speed Channel, OLN, Travel Channel, and local area TV stations. The move to Thunder Road in Sturgis this year is expected to attract even more visitors than in the past.
The “School’s Out” exhibition, which has been made possible by the generous support of Danny Gray Seats, Metzeler Tires and Sturgis Bike Week Productions, will be open to the public on Saturday, August 5th and remain open through Saturday, August 12th from 11 a.m. until midnight. Admission to the Thunderdome will be $10 during the AMD World Championship of Bike Building show August 5-7, $5 during the Rats Hole show August 11th, and FREE August 8-10 and August 12. The public is invited to meet many of the artists and motorcycle builders who will be present on Tuesday, August 8th from 4:00 – 6:00pm.
Metzeler Tires, a “Schools Out” exhibition sponsor, has organized its fourth annual Custom Bike Competition all day Tuesday, August 8th inside the Thunderdome. Custom motorcycles using any of Metzeler’s tires, from standard sizes to their super wide 300, will be welcome to enter. Following the competition an awards presentation will take place at which the best of show winner will be awarded an advertising campaign featuring the winning custom bike builder.
Also taking place at Thunder Road will be Rick Fairless’s Strokers Sturgis, The Biker/Penthouse bike show, the AMD World Championship of Bike Building, Miss Sturgis, The Texas Bikini Team, outside vendors, and more. Thunder Road is a part of the Glencoe Nation and is located directly in front of the Glencoe campground, which will be host to Rock’n The Rally, an event that will have over 20 national music acts including Big and Rich, Cheap Trick, Sammy Hagar, The Steve Miller Band, and Nickelback.
Thunder Road is located 3 miles east of Sturgis on Highway 34, and is home to the premier bike builders and vendors During Sturgis Bike Week. Additional information is available at www.thunderroadsturgis.com
ON LINE, ALL CLASS GAMBLING AND YOU COULD WIN A $7000 ENGINE–A HOT new RevTech engine for $50.00!!! That’s right, Bikernet and Hot Aces Casino are sponsoring a contest to win a new $7,000 HOT ROD, REVTECH engine. Just click on the link belowr, make a $50.00 deposit* you will then have a chance to win this great engine. Not only that, but make your $50.00 deposit and Hot Aces Casino will add an additional $25.00 bonus. So $50.00 = $75.00=A chance to win a new engine and who knows perhaps a jackpot or royal flush or a great day at the tables!!!
Click here www.hotacescasino.com register, make your $50.00 deposit and enter the code ENGINE. You will be automatically entered into the drawing. Drawing to be held July 14, 2006.
*see promotion terms and conditions at www.hotacescasino.com
Continued On Page 2
