Hey,
This has been one of those weekends. Plans called for working out, kicking back in the shop, finishing up the 5-Ball Factory Racer, and the last dazzling chapter of my first Chance Hogan Book, but no way.
Friday was swept away running errands along the coast. Then Saturday, famous Easyriders, Tattoo Magazine and American Iron Mag photog, Markus, rolled over to inspect Vincents at Century Motors in San Pedro. We’re working on a wild, historic feature on a couple of Black Shadows and the history of Vincent street racing in San Pedro in the ’50s, for Back Street Heroes Magazine in England, and ultimately on Bikernet. This is destined to be a killer story. Cindy?s Dad, the original owner of Century, raced for pink slips every weekend on his Vincent Rapide. She still owns his bike.
She sent me a 100,000 mile Vincent road test report from the ’50s, which I just posted in the Digital Discovery area, last night. Let’s hit the news. Maybe I can grab some shop time this afternoon.
SCARY QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND– In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. -Voltaire (1764)
–from James Schnarr
BIKERNET BOOK STORE BOOK REVIEW– “Amy White?s Wicked Bitch is a white-knuckle, runaway ride on a motorcycle on fire; a white trash manifesto that hits like a crowbar to the brainpan and goes down with all the subtlety of a straight shot of whiskey. Dripping with pickup truck sex and sung to the tune of red, white and blue rock ?n? roll with a southern twang, Wicked Bitch is an American love story told in a smoky roadhouse; the true story of a biker woman who will not rest until she spits in the devil?s eye.”
Dave Nichols
Editor Easyriders & V-Twin Magazine
Paisano Publications, LLC
“Wicked Bitch screams through the backdrop of the real south just the way the moonshiners and the booze runners did in their hot rod Fords a generation ago–hammer down and to hell with anything that gets in her way!”
Bill Hayes, author of The Original Wild Ones and American Biker
Kill a Biker Go To Jail– When Paul Vita announced at the ABATE of Wisconsin Region 1A meeting on May 12th that the 62-year old woman who appeared in court the day before in a wheel chair to be sentenced for killing a biker during the Harley 105th Anniversary was sentenced to 10 years in prison, there was no joy among those of us attending nor was there applause.
The death of Mike Fleming and the sentencing of the drunk driver who killed him was a no win situation. Mike is gone and a woman may spend the rest of her life in prison.
As tragic as this whole case is, it does underscore the point that there are serious consequences to killing a biker and that the activism of Steve Johnson and other members of ABATE of Wisconsin in bringing this matter to the public?s attention and showing support for the victim during court proceedings can make a difference.
We need to bring some good to this tragedy by continuing our ?Watch for Motorcycles? campaign and by educating the public about the need to watch for motorcycles and the consequences of not doing so.
Please click the link below to read the on-line article from the Milwaukee Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/prnewswire/press_releases/national/Wisconsin/2009/05/13/CG16554
–from Tony Sanfelipo
BMW Unveils Production S 1000 RR– BMW unveiled its production S 1000 RR supersport motorcycle for the first time May 9 during the World Superbike (WSBK) round at the Monza Raceway in Italy.
Introduced after a development period of just four years, BMW’s first 999cc water-cooled four-cylinder inline power unit develops maximum output of 193 hp at 13,000 rpm, produces 82.5 lb-ft of torque at 9,750 rpm and revs to a maximum speed of 14,200 rpm. The bike harbors a wet weight of 450 lbs.
BMW revealed a long list of technical attributes (things you?ll likely be able to read about in forthcoming consumer magazines) but the highlights are arguably the availability of optional ABS and DTC (Dynamic Traction Control).
With DTC the rider has the choice of various engine characteristics and setups available at the touch of a button. Choices include “Rain” for wet roads, “Sport” for regular road conditions, “Race” for a racetrack with supersport tires, or “Slick” for a racetrack with slicks. The ABS and DTC options combined add only an additional 5.3 lbs. to the bike.
BMW says the specific targets in developing the S 1000 RR were to:
? achieve output and performance of the highest standard;
? make the suspension absolutely stable, with top handling and supreme traction;
? give the new machine the unmistakable design of BMW Motorrad;
? reduce the weight of the motorcycle to an absolute minimum; and
? ensure the top quality typical of BMW.
Read more about BMW’s plans for the U.S. at Dealernews.com.
?Submitted by Guido Ebert, DealerNews
NATIONAL COALITION OF MOTORCYCLISTS SUPPORTS SEMA MOTORCYCLE WORKING GROUP– Just got back from the NCOM Convention in Reno, and it was an awesome weekend with a near-record crowd of bikers from all over the country! We discussed the SEMA Motorcycle Working Group at our NCOM Board Meeting, and a motion was made and passed unanimously that we support the organization and offer myself as a member of the group to represent the National Coalition of Motorcyclists and our more than 2,000 NCOM Member Groups nationwide.
I think the MC WG is a great idea and a grand undertaking, and the NCOM board sees the potential of an allied effort between the motorcyclists rights community and the industry. Continued Good Luck getting this venture off the ground, and let me know what’s needed next.
–Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists
JUNE TOUR AND FATHER’S DAY PARTY AT CENTURY MOTORCYCLES– THE RIDE: Our June ride will be the usual ride from my home to the Century Motorcycles’ Father’s Day Party on June 21.
Meet at my home, 11519 Sundale Ave., Hawthorne, at 8:30 A.M., for a 9:00 A.M. departure for a tour around the coast to Century Motorcycles in San Pedro. Or, you can meet us there at 1640 S Pacific Avenue, San Pedro from 10 A.M/ until 5 P.M.
Cindy says: “Come one, come all, and come hungry. Meet old friends, make new ones and see all of the beautiful motorcycles and listen to an array of good music. Take the Harbor freeway to the end. Turn left on Gaffey Street. Take Gaffey to 17th Street and turn left. Go 2 blocks to Pacific and we are right on the corner of 17th Street and Pacific Avenue. Looking forward to seeing you all. Century is up, open and alive.”
THE PARTY: Cindy would like to see a good showing of Vincents at the party as Keith Ball is writing an article for the largest custom bike magazine in England, Back Street Heroes, and he will be there. Cindy writes: “I need to know if you will be my back up for the article Keith Ball is doing for the British magazine at the party on June 21st., Hooray for “Wild Bill Day.”
It would be a great venue for all of the Vincent folks to show off their motorcycles. Maybe we can just line them all up out in front, or we can park them inside. Whatever we come up with, y’all will be in the spotlight.
They wanted to do a story on, of course, Bill’s Lightning and the shop, but, I can’t do it alone and besides we are family and I can’t do anything Vincent without my So Cal Vincent family.” “I would like to get all of our Vincent Family here for the party with as many Vincents as possible and for you to help me answer questions that Keith may have about our machines. I don’t know as much as I would like to about our motorcycles, and I am sure all of us are learning more about them all of the time. I just know that owning a Vincent has sure made me popular. It really doesn’t matter to me if I am in the limelight, but it is a nice feeling when folks read about all of you and all that you do to promote and the love of these fine machines. I think that the VOC in England will also get a kick out of our club being in one of their British magazines
–Cindy rutherford dmn
Sucker Punch Sally’s Partners with Premier Cigar Manufacturer for Custom Build– SCOTTSDALE, Ariz–May 14, 2009–The signature old-school styling of custom motorcycle manufacturer Sucker Punch Sally’s (SPS) has once again caught the eye of motorcycle industry outsiders. SPS today announced it will team up with premium cigar manufacturer CAO to produce a one-off bike that will make its way into one lucky winner’s garage.
SPS’s CAO-inspired custom will feature the quality craftsmanship, modern components and old-school aesthetic SPS is known for while incorporating details unique to the CAO brand. Named “Lady Liberty,” this bobber-style swinger will carry the mantra “Free To Ride–Free To Smoke” and will be hand-painted by SPS’s renowned in-house artist Sara Ray inspired by the CAO Cigar brand.
“CAO is the top of the line when it comes to cigar manufacturers, and their product creation process is very similar to ours,” said SPS President Christian Clayton. “They understand that the smallest details truly make a product, and we’re excited to see these ideals come to life in the Lady Liberty build.”
SPS and CAO fans will soon be able to watch the build in progress online or see the bike in person as it makes its way across the United States throughout the latter part of 2009. The bike will be on display at 100 retail tobacconists and numerous bike rallies before it is given away to a randomly selected winner during a party at the CAO headquarters in Spring 2010.
Look for a dealer near you or for more information, visit Sucker Punch Sally’s on the Web at www.suckerpunchsallys.com or call them at (480) 778-9500.
–Ken Conte
Rise Above Consulting
ANOTHER BOOK REVIEW FROM BIKERNET BOOK STORE–Subject: Man of the House The husband had just finished reading a book entitled “You Can Be the Man of Your House.”
He stomped to his wife in the kitchen and announced, “From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is law.”
“You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight and when I am finished eating my meal, you will serve me a sumptuous dessert. After dinner you are going to go upstairs with me and we will have the kind of sex I want. Afterwards, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands and fluff my pillows and make me comfortable for a good night’s sleep. Then tomorrow, guess who is going to dress me and comb my hair?”
The wife replied, “A freaking funeral director would be my first guess.”
–from Donna O.
Brass Balls Bobbers Latest Premium Supplier: Wire-Plus– Darwin Motorcycles, manufacturer of Brass Balls Bobbers & Choppers, announced today that the firm has completed a supplier agreement with Wire-Plus Powersports Electronics. Dar Holdsworth, President of Brass Balls Bobbers, stated: “Our entire line of custom-production Bobbers and Choppers will be outfitted with WirePlus’ custom wiring harnesses. In addition, the majority of our product line will sport their latest digital black face speedo.”
“Rick Marler, President of Wire-Plus, has been engineering state-of-the-art products for this market for more than a decade, and has worked with and supplied product for everyone in the industry, including Big Bear Choppers to Big Dog,” said Dar Holdsworth, Brass Balls Bobbers’ BossMan. “We are excited to tap into his wealth of knowledge. Wire-Plus is another building block in our continuous improvement campaign to build bullet-proof motorcycles that keep our riders doing what they like to do best… get out and ride!”
Holdsworth selected Wire-Plus because their systems are built to survive the rugged environment of the Harley-Davidson and custom v-twin bike markets and feature vibration resistant, solidstate breaker technology. Additional features include waterproof epoxy molded power control modules that deliver consistent reliability throughout their duty cycle, which means that riders will not be sidelined due to an electronics failure.
Wire-Plus’ new state-of-the-art digital DOT compliant digital speedo provides a cornucopia of information to the rider… Features include speedometer, tach, trip, odometer, all indicator light functions and new flat panel construction that measures 2.5″ round with all electronics onboard. (No external brain box.) The unit also features super bright display technology for “true daylight” readability with a light sensor for auto-dimming at night. Wire-Plus also manufactures rectangular models that can be mounted either directly on the handlebars or flush mounted in the gas tank or other areas of the bike’s sheet metal.
“Holdsworth is building his bikes right on the money with products and features found on bikes costing thousands of dollars more,” exclaimed Marler. “His idea to build a bike with quality components at value pricing is a time tested tactic that gets everyone excited. We are proud to be a member of his new “Team” of Venders”
BIKERNET LAUGHLIN RUN READER REVIEW– I read your Laughlin Report, good stuff as usual.
I feel for you with the Vertigo , been there Pal, I thought I would give you some unsolicited advice!!
I will try to explain it to the best of my typing ability!!
I was told there are 4 points in your Inner Ear/Skull that you get this from, I know you have heard the expression ,”Rocks in your head” the specialist I saw told me this is where it comes from.
There are salt crystals in these points if they”get out” of these points they rub against very fine hairs that are in there and cause the severe dizziness, hard to explain the feeling to someone if the have never had it, other than a very nauseous feeling and extreme dizziness.
I was sent to a Vertigo specialist, I lived in Houston Texas at the time, they told me I was out in all 4 places and said I must have really hit my head, I hadn’t.
They used a very simple therapy of tilting my head around in very special positions, they watch your eyes during this procedure, they said your eyes are moving around very rapidly during this but you can’t tell.
The first time she told me I would feel really bad in about an hour and she was right on. It took about 2-3 weeks to get to 100%.
I guess the short of this is if you get hit with this again, you might try to find a specialist who uses this type of procedure, no pills, shots or any of that shit. I have been free of this for 3-4 years now, my Aunt unbeknownst to me had a car wreck and suffered for 2 years, I told my Mom to tell her about this, she went UCLA and got it fixed, it works!!
–Gordon Claunch
Bakersfield,Ca
Thanks brother. Do you mean that lots of Whiskey won’t help?–Bandit
COOLBETH RACING FOR FOURTH GRAND NATIONAL TITLE IN 2009– Three Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew Riders will be Title Contenders.
MILWAUKEE (May 15, 2009) ? Championships in AMA Pro Grand National flat track motorcycle racing historically run in streaks, and in 2009 it will be Screamin? Eagle? Harley-Davidson? factory rider Kenny Coolbeth racing to join an elite list of racers with four consecutive Grand National titles. Coolbeth has won the championship each season since joining the Screamin? Eagle Harley-Davidson team in 2006. If he earns it again in 2009, Coolbeth would join Carroll Resweber (1958-61), Scott Parker (1994-1998) and Chris Carr (2001-2005) as the only riders to win four or more consecutive AMA Pro Grand National championships.
?To win just one championship in this series is a real challenge,? said Coolbeth. ?Winning a fourth in a row is going to test our experience, our teamwork and the skills of the rider and of the technicians who prepare the Harley-Davidson XR750 race bike. When it all clicks, we are running up front.?
Coolbeth counts among his toughest challengers the Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew, the three riders for independent, dealer-owned teams that are supported by Harley-Davidson. For 2009, the Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew will include:
Moroney’s Harley-Davidson/Screamin’ Eagle with rider Bryan Smith, who won at Beulah Park in 2008 and finished second in the final points standings.
Latus Harley-Davidson/Screamin? Eagle with rider Joe Kopp, the 2000 AMA Pro Grand National Champion who won six races in 2008 and finished fourth in the final points standings.
Blue Springs Harley-Davidson/Screamin’ Eagle with rider Jared Mees, a two-time runner-up for the Grand National title who placed ninth in the series standings in 2008.
In 2008, Coolbeth won six of 13 races on the AMA Pro Grand National Twins series, and finished on the podium at four other events. Coolbeth is supported at the races by Craig Lager, mechanic, and Brad Bishop, engineer.
?There are a handful of racers at every Grand National Twins event that can win it,? said Coolbeth. ?The Screamin? Eagle team shows up expecting to win every race, but when the competition is this tough, you can?t relax until you are driving home.?
The nine-race 2009 AMA Pro Grand National Twins series kicks off on May 24 at the historic Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fair Grounds in Springfield, Ill.
The Screamin’ Eagle Flat Track team is sponsored by Matco Tools.
JOHNNY HUMBLE BUYS ROAD TEST BIKE–Can’t get enough of the Night Rod. Read all about his bike-shifting saga in the Bikernet Road Test Department.
BIKERNET HOSPITAL DITCHES SWINE FLU FOR LYME DISEASE STUDY– If you enjoy hiking, camping or simply spending time outdoors in wooded areas, you should be aware of Lyme disease, an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorfer, a bacterium that is often found in deer ticks. Since deer ticks tend to be prevalent in woodlands, you should wear protective clothing such as light colored, long-sleeved shirts, and tuck your pants into your socks when hiking in these areas.
Always perform a “tick check” and immediately wash your body after spending time in the woods or tall grass. In addition, keep an eye out for anything unusual on your skin, especially a rash in concentric rings, like a bull’s-eye. If you have any symptoms such as rashes, fever or joint pain, consult a doctor who is knowledgeable about diagnosing and treating Lyme disease – the typical treatment is with antibiotics.
Left untreated, about two-thirds of people with Lyme disease develop recurring bouts of arthritis, sometimes years after the infection.
–from DrWeil.com
THE GIG IS A GO AT COOK’S CORNER– I injured my hand a bit and almost called off this gig, but I am playing at Cook’s Corner Sunday at 1pm, then at 6 pm I’ll set up for bike feature photo shoots in the parking lot, for about an hour and a half. If you have a bike u want photographed then bring it down. Two models will be there.
If you would like your bike featured on Bikernet, let Pete know.
Check out Pete Alva’s new website, BikereventsMagazine.com.
BIKERNET READER FINDS RELIEF– Yummy,hot sauce and pain killers. My back’s shot and my doc said to get a massage to help settle my nerves. So, I know two strippers who are trying to get respectable and went to massage school. They both graduated and are honest to god legal massage therapists.
Well, because I was good to them when they were dancing they offered me a freebie. How could I refuse an offer like that? We even did up some Patron when we were done.
Honest to god, even I couldn’t make up a story like that! It’s true I guess, when life gives you lemons, sometimes if you’re lucky you do get some lemonaid.
ride safe, my riding days are on hold for now but how can I bitch?
–pete( from florida)
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