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Old shot from Bob T.
THE BIKERNET OZARK REPORT–I sent Ozark Ed an e-mail during the tornado outburst in Oklahoma, to see if he was still alive and had some beer–Bandit.
We’re ok but shit happened all around us. It’s normal stuff out here. Things have been kinda quiet. Skits is coming around again but he’s still up the girls ass most of the time. He still hasn’t got his bike on the road, so he’s missing all the riding. Bald head Pete and me have been doing the tit bar tour. Last Saturday we went to this bar on the river, and I saw one of the guys I rode to Sturgis with last year. He’s already working on me to go.
Tall Randy came over Friday. He bought a one-wheel trailer to pull behind his big old bagger. We are going on our 9th year-in-a-row mountain ride/campout, in two weeks, and he’s toting the beer in the new trailer. That’s always been a problem because the area where muster in is dry and you have to haul your own libations. It’s difficult to tote beer and ice on a bike, when you got all your camping gear tied on. We have been taking beer then stopping about 10 miles from first nights camp and buying a bunch of ice then making a beer pile on the ground. It’s never makes it till morning. The next days beer is hot and we just suffer. This trailer deal will be the shit. Paw Paw, Toothless Rick, Pete, Mark, KC, and Frank are all going for sure. Several others might go, but they aren’t sure yet. I’m really looking forward to this because most of the guys live in different places, and we rarely all get together at one time.
Five years in a row we have been jacked by the skinny little ranger, who thinks the whole damn national forest is his. So we’re a little loud. So it’s a little late. we’re out in the middle of nowhere, and the only person we bother is him. He lives about five miles from where we camp, but we’re in a deep valley and the sound carries for a long way. Paw Paw has a habit of “checking his battery” periodically through the night. That usually gets him out for the first warning. We know that on the third warning he’s getting a little cranky, so we crash and try to get a little rest for the next day’s ride. We usually cover 3 or 4 hundred miles of mountains before we get to the little party town where the clubs are. It’s a beautiful ride. We leave on Friday, come home Sunday. I’ll report on the trip on Monday, If I remember. I’ll take the digital camera and send some photos. Plan on coming next year.
–Ozark Ed
RIVERA HYDRAULIC CLUTCH–Smooth, effortless hand operation with race winningcontrol for ALL 5-speed Big-Twin transmissions
Mechanical brakes were discontinued by American H-D in 1958 (rear wheel at least) with the introduction of the swingarm frame. The advantages of using hydraulics for clutch & brake actuation are common knowledge. Why continue using the archaic OEM cable activated clutch when a quality, high performance alternative is available?
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COMMAND POSTS SET UP TO RESTRICT THUNDER IN THE CANYON–It was the Creek County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma (Near Tulsa), against a motorcycle rally in Mannford, OK called “The Thunder in theCanyon.” It started in the Tulsa World Newspaper when the Chief Deputy, MikeO’Keefe, called all the bikers that were planning on going to the rally”outlaw bikers” and vowed to establish a “command post” and “24 hoursurveillance” of the rally.
In the week before the rally he gathered up abunch of residents in Mannford and took them to a pheasant dinner and showedthem videos of car bombings, homicide scenes. rape victims, shootings,stabbings, horrible explosions of homes and buildings, etc., etc. He toldthe residents that they should expect what they were seeing in the videos ifthe rally were allowed to happen.
When the rally day came around he set up a roadblock and started stoppingall the bikes in the area. It was a mess. A nasty discombobulated mess. Now,my site makes fun of the whole sorted mess and a run on the County Seat,Sapulpa, is in the works.
–Johnny O
LA CALENDAR UPDATE–Things are kicking into high gear for the annual Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show weekend scheduled for July 19-20th at the Queen Mary Event Park, Long Beach, CA, is held right on the edge of the beautiful Pacific Ocean overlooking Long Beach Harbor. Sponsored by Iron Works magazine, Performance Machine, Corona Beer, Bikernet.com, The Los Angeles Times/Recycler /Cycle Buys, AutoTrader.com Publications, the FastDates.com Calendars and Speed Channel’s American Thunder, The LA Calendar Motorcycle Show has continued to grow every year to become the biggest and most popular streetbike show in America catering to the custom, cruiser and sportbike markets. Always the 3rd weekend of July, the 12th Annual Show is scheduled for Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th, 2003, and is expected to draw some 20,000 motorcycle enthusiasts.
Spectators and Exhibitors can find out more about The LA Calendar Motorcycle Show and all the available weekend activities, hotels and improved parking online at www.FastDates.com/BIKESHOW.HTM.
HANDLING PROBLEMS?–A buddy of mine, Will Phillips, has created a product designed to prevent rear-end walking on dressers. TRUETRACK (TRUE-TRACK.com, June 2003), is a device to keep Dresser swingarm pivots (rubbermounts) anchored in the chassis. They stop REARSTEER and chassis flexing.
MYSTERY MOTORCYCLE–I heard a rumble about a new Harley model. Have you heard anything on the LOTR? I’m guessing it’s a Low Rider Touring Bike but I’m probably way off base.
Believe it or not, it’s a Lord of the Rings Harley Chopper.Guess my editor was testing me…the asshole! It only took me 10 minutes of research to find it. I’m getting old and slow I guess.
–TBear
NEW AMERICAN RIDER HITS THE STANDS–It’s the August 2003 issue and hosts all new S&S, 145-inch customs, the Blacked-out King and a Big Dog/Bull Dog road test featuring our own Brenda Fox. Whatta babe. Check it out. We’re trying to improve this mag. Send me your thoughts: Bandit@bikernet.com. Enjoy.
I’M LOST–It’s one of those days that all builders experience. There’s a fog hanging over the harbor. The sun is attempting to break through, so there’s heavy humidity hanging in the air. I have five projects in the works, but each one is waiting on chrome, powder, paint or some goddamn thing. Even that damn trophy (above), I’m building for the Run For Breath is waiting the plaque from the engraver.
There’s not much happening this weekend and I’m looking forward to the peace, but I’ll go crazy after sitting on my ass for five minutes.
I need some action. We have a vast array of Bikernet material in a holding pattern waiting for the Digital Gangster to surface. We received a cryptic note an hour ago indicating that he might return from the dead.
I have a lingering sense that I need to ride this weekend. I could find Sin’s new apartment and see if I can bust her with May Ling or Coral. That would spice up the weekend. Then I’ll snort bad air into the desert and leave the city behind. I need to post a couple of shots of the King. It’s looking sharp, and would look even cleaner with sand dunes and cactus off in the background. Let’s ride.
–Bandit
Check Out The New Fiction — Page 1
New Tech Article By TBear Page 1