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BIKERNET SPONSORSHIP RATES TO GO UP JANUARY 1ST–We’ve held the rates the same since we kicked ’em off 5 years ago when we only had 50,000 unique users coming to Bikernet monthly. We currently have as many as 300,000 unique users visiting Bikernet monthly.
Some mags charge as much as 40 bucks per cpm (cost per thousand) for print advertising. We are currently charging 40 cents per cpm. Other web sites charge between $12 and 25 per cpm, but let’s not go there. We’re not advertising junkies. We don’t have a corporate giant behind us scooping all our profits. We want to do a helluva job for our sponsors and make a living, done deal.
Some 90 percent of our Sponsors have been with us for four or more years. That’s what we like. We’re running this notice to allow good people in our industry to jump on board now, before the rates go up. We’ll hold ’em fast for anyone who jumps on board before the Jan 1 deadline.
TRIKE BODIES REACHES OUT–My name is Billy Gilbert. I am the web master and SEO (search engine optimization) specialist for Possum Pride Trike Bodies.com. My clients, Tom and Linda Semro are members of the BTW in southwest Missouri (Ozark Mountain Trikers). They manufacture vw trike bodies, fenders, and accessories. Our goal is to deliver a quality product, fast and friendly.
We just launched a new web site and with your help we can grow the triker communities across the world. I was wondering if we could get a link from your web site. This would be a great help to Tom and Linda and they would really appreciate it.
–Billy Gilbert
billy@poweroftheweb.com
We welcome link trades and have an extensive link department. No problem and no charge. –Bandit
LAS VEGAS BIKEFEST ARTISTRY IN IRON WINNERS–LAS VEGAS (October 3, 2006) – A record breaking 35,111 bikers from all over the world took over the streets of Vegas September 14-17 for the sixth annual Las Vegas BikeFest.
For the third year in a row, the Artistry in Iron invitational master builders competition featured eye-catching, custom bike designs from the sublime to the outrageous. Winning the peer-judged competition and taking home the $20,000 prize was Greg Westbury, defeating 20 of the world’s most talented custom bike builders including Mitch Bergeron, Paul Yaffe, Gard Hollinger and two-time Artistry in Iron winner Roger Goldammer. Westbury amazed his fellow builders and onlookers with his progressive custom design.
For more information AND THE WINNERS, visit www.LasVegasBikeFest.com, call toll-free 866-BIKEFEST (245-3337), or email info@lasvegasbikefest.com.
HELMET-HOG NO RIDER SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE–Ride Hard, Ride Free, Carry a Spare Helmet?Helmet-Hogs will be at the Grand National Show in San Francisco at the Cow Palace on Oct 14-15. If you don?t know what a Helmet-Hog is, it?s the best way to carry a spare half dome helmet securely on your bike. If you don?t think you need one, think again. Use it for interstate travel when you can ride in a helmet free state. No helmet to carry? Use it as bungee to strap a jacket, shirt and just about anything else securely to your bike. Check out Bandits review in his Sturgis story, to see how useful this thing is. See us at the show or get one online at www.helmet-hog.com.
Thank You
Scott Heames
Helmet-Gear, Inc
714-612-3320
BIKERNET BONNEVILLE REPORT RECEIVES RAVE REVIEWS– I have read chapter 18, bloody good Mate, especially the photo’s (I’m messin with ya) seriously tho’, great story it really took us back. Bandit, give Nyla a hug , kick the cat, take the dog for a drive and don’t forget to ring your Mum.
–Glenn Priddle
GP Custom Leather Work
Australia
HOG BELT BIKES CHOPPER MANUFACTURER–HBB Customs is the exclusive dealer of Hog Belt Bikes.Hog Belt Bikes is a quality, dedicated manufacturer ofcustom choppers, pro streets and custom built softtail motorcycles. We are committed to continuing thelegacy of quality American built products.
Hog Belt Bikes is the brain child of Karl Lutz who isalso the founder of KDL Machining Inc. His 30 yrsexperience in machine shop manufacturing andindustrial technologies prompted the establishment ofHog Belt Bikes.Karl’s inspiration came from growing up in the late60’s and early 70’s when bike clubs saturated thenation and motorcycle racing and dirt bikes werecultural icons.
Having graduated from building his first Briggs andStratton powered mini bike to dirt bikes, he is nowdevoted to providing his customers with all inspiringv-twin street sleds. For more information, view ourwebsite at www.hbbcustoms.com.
HBB CUSTOMS.COM
1917 s 2nd
Pekin Il 61554
Ph: 309 477 3036
Ask for Karl Lutz
STEALTH BIKE WORKS WEEKLY REPORT– we are working on our Rigid Evo project. It is coming along very nicely. Around here the bike nights are winding down and the weather has turned somewhat Fall like. That is a good thing in a way, maybe people will stop riding wearing flip flops!
The bike build off this past week was pretty good for a change. Paul Yaffe’s bike was really nice. I like that style of bike. Dave Perweitz’s bike was cool too. Personally, I like that old gangster look on Paul’s bike.
I have been reading the “Bikernet Forum” section a lot the past couple of weeks and it seems the old H-D dealers have been getting ripped pretty good. Oh well, “If the shoe fits, wear it!” It seems they only want you run Dunlop tires because other tires may affect handling or maybe it is because that is what they sell? Not too hard to figure that one out! What happens when you ride a passenger, Does that chage the handling? Get real!
The October Jam Swap Meet and Bike Show is at the Rowan county fairgrounds this weekend. SBW will be there with a booth set up. This is always a good time, just to kick back and enjoy the bikes and the people.
Until next week, RIDE!
–STEALTHMAN
BIG TWIN WEST TO FEATURE HIGH DOLLAR CUSTOM BIKE AUCTION–Santa Ana, Calif. (October 10, 2006) Advanstar Communications, a leading provider of integrated media solutions to the automotive aftermarket, off-road and powersports industries, announced today that a custom bike auction will be held at Big Twin West, in conjunction with Big Twin Customs Invitiational. Big Twin West continues to demonstrate why it is the destination for Big Twin retailers, builders, and manufacturers with the addition of this first-of-its kind event. The auction will be held in conjunction with the custom bike showcase, and is scheduled for Sunday, December 3, 2006.
The organizers of Big Twin West are thrilled to be partnering with Manheim Specialty Auctions, the world’s leading provider of vehicle services and marketplaces to professional buyers and sellers. Manheim will coordinate the auction, and through their marketing efforts to their established client base along with Big Twin West and Mandalay Bay’s efforts to reach their customers. The auction is expected to attract enthusiastic buyers eager to own a exclusive one-off custom motorcycle.
All builders involved with Big Twin Customs Invitational have the opportunity to auction off the bike that’s featured in the Invitational, as well any additional bikes they built. The auction is also open to builders who don’t have bikes in the Invitational, but would still like to take advantage of this unique opportunity to sell one of their custom bikes. Due to time constraints during the show, the number of bikes for sale during the auction is limited to 75 on a first-come, first-serve basis.
With over 7,500 retailers, manufacturers, and spectators expected to walk the show floor during this weekend-long event, the auction at Big Twin West will provide custom-builders the ultimate platform to reach buyers interested in purchasing one of their creations.
Big Twin Customs Invitational takes place December 1 through 3, 2006, during Big Twin West, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. It’s more than a bike show, this event is a celebration of design excellence that recognizes the custom-builders who lead the industry with their innovative designs and concepts. The auction is scheduled for 1:00pm on 12/03/2006, with a preview beginning at 10:00am that morning.
Builders can sign up to register their bike for the auction by contacting Big Twin West at 800-854-3112, ext 8646. For more information about the auction or show, visit the Big Twin West website at www.bigtwinwest.com.
BAAS METAL CRAFT SPONSORS BIKERNET BONNEVILLE EFFORT–After seeing the info on Bikernet about sponsorsNeeded, I began to think about what I could do to helpthe team. Being a poor school teacher money donationswould not be in the budget, so I decided to use mycreative side business Baas Metal Craft to cut somekick ass steel shop signs for the team.
You may haveseen the large steel bikernet logo I cut out forbandit for the Bikernet Headquarters main gate a few years ago or someof the Indian Larry tribute signs we did with thestudents in my Chopper Class here in BloomingtonMinnesota. I contacted Bandit and was sent some artwork to get the ball rolling on this project.
Thefirst sign is the 5-Ball racing design. I took theart work, which needs to be sent to me in black andwhite in high resolution and converted it into my CADprogram. After some extensive clean-up work the signwas scaled to the correct size, 3-foot tall and readyto cut. After converting the image to the correct M&Gcode for the CNC machine to cut, I lined up the steeland yelled, “fire in the hole.” The machine is reallyamazing. The speed in which it slices through thesteel and the laser like precision in which it cutsthe designs. After about 15 minutes the sign wasfinished and taken off the table to ready forshipment.
For anyone interested in acustom steel sign or one-off bike part or otherfabrication I can be reached through my websitewww.baasmetalcraft.com.
Oh ya, and don’t forget to support high school Chopin’. We need parts to finish this year’s student built bikein time for the Donnie Smith Invitational! For anyonewho has not heard of what I do with my chopper classcheck out this video on the S&S websitehttp://www.sscycle.com/iframes/video.phpclick on the Kennedy High school video..that’s me andthe bike from two years ago.
Thanks much
–Kevin “TEACH” Baas
BAAS METAL CRAFT
Custom made steel signs, art, furniture and fabricated parts.
www.baasmetalcraft.com
952-215-1252
“When in doubt, burn out!”
NEW NAVY SHIP SOON TO BE LAUNCHED–USS New York,With a year to go before it even touches the water, the Navy’samphibious assault ship USS New York has already made history. It wasbuilt with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade CenterUSS New York is about 45 percent complete and should be ready for launchin mid-2007.
Katrina disrupted construction when it pounded the GulfCoast last summer, but the 684-foot vessel escaped serious damage, andworkers were back at the yard near New Orleans two weeks after thestorm.
It is the fifth in a new class of warship – designed for missions thatinclude special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore byhelicopters and assault craft.
“It would be fitting if the first mission this ship would go on is tomake sure that bin Laden is taken out, his terrorist organization istaken out,” said Glenn Clement, a paint foreman. “He came in through theback door and knocked our towers down and (the New York ) is coming rightthrough the front door, and we want them to know that.”
Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite,La., to cast the ship’s bow section. When it was poured into the moldson Sept. 9, 2003, “those big rough steelworkers treated it with totalreverence,” recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. “It was aspiritual moment for everybody there.”
Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when thetrade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and thehair on my neck stood up. “It had a big meaning to it for all of us,”he said. “They knocked us down. They can’t keep us down. We’re going tobe back.”
The ship’s motto? – ‘Never Forget’
BIKETOBERFEST NOTE– Officially Biketoberfest is October 19th thru the 22nd BUT Unofficially it is starting on Friday the 13th with parties, vendors etc. in the areas outside of Daytona Beach
I will send you more as it becomes available.
–Rogue
CARIBBEAN REPORT RETURNS– No I’m not dead, not abducted by aliens, have not closed the doors……Gladly for some and sadly for others we are still around, sure there’s been many changes since the last time I had actual time to write up a Caribbean Report, I know some of you miss it, I do too.
Reality is I needed (and need) to get off this insane hustle and bustle shit that the biz was becoming, the endless trips, the endless hours and everything else, by no way I am being an ingrate, I do enjoy all the trips and the rest, hell.. some of you might not even know what we do or who we are.. So that’s fine with me.
It was really time to calm down, sure I am still working and have a bunch of builds to do, I still have the shop running, but I am taking things a lot easier (sort of) the only major difference is that we have opened an Ebay Store to sell the surplus, takeoff and new parts that we have to compensate for the incredible amount of shops that open and close everyday. I still have more bikes to build that i can humanly do in a year, the surfing season is very near, and the gears for the Rincon event December 1,2 and 3 rd are moving very slowly.
Let’s say I just wanted to jump out of the rat race.. Since only rats compete in that…
Right now whatever little spare time I find goes towards the book, yes, I am writing for Motorbooks International (well so says my contract) for a How to build an inexpensive bike (well sort of the theme in general) I am almost done with the text, still got a few shots to go and to organize the whole thing… Never done a book.. but I can write ’till my fingers bleed…
Tell you the truth, I’ve never had so many things going on while I was trying to lay low.. well, so be it…
About the bikes, well, I am doing what I am preaching, just got two Sportsters done for friends who are in the very low money range, and I mean low, for a custom bike, but still (to me) I think they are cool and the guys will be proud of them. I’m also working on a 79, 84, 51, two more xl’s and a few others, I hope that by Daytona next year i will have a dozen new bikes ready to jump the puddle. No Discovery, no magazines…
Another major change is that I will start writing for The HORSE once more, I have a years worth of bikes and them some, very few events that I attended this year, and whatever else, These I try to squeeze between whatever. Now that the showroom is ” By appointment only”. I’m trying to find that lost time to do something productive (as money productive…) Also waiting on a couple builds from my friends from Texas, and one from Chicago.
I will try not to be such a stranger and let you guys know what is going on….
–Jose
Caribbean Custom Cycles
www.chopperfreak.com
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