October 28, 2004 Part 1

Here’s the deal. I’ve been hired by Primedia to take the position of Editorial Director of Street Choppers, Hot Rod Bikes and the Editor in Chief of Hot Bike. The plan includes licensing Bikernet.com to the group. I may need your help to see that this aspect happens.

I’m not going to bail on you guys. I hope to fold material from all these books into Bikernet and make sure that all our readers get the best of all worlds. You may need to be patient with me through this process, but at the end of the day my goal is to bring you the best service, the best entertainment and the best access to informations and products. Hot Bike is destined to bring the best of the Biker world to print. Hot Rod Bikes goal will include publishing the best performance and tech with the hottest technical coverage in the industry, and finally, you’ve read HORSE, but you ain’t seen nothing until you read Street Choppers and find yourself face to face with the new school/old school controversy. You want to build a chopper, this book will show you the way, old school or hot billet performance.

And my hope is that each element of these books will be covered on Bikernet. So goddamnit, I don’t need to pack my lunch tin until Monday, so let’s hit the news:

BUFFALO CHIP AT BIKETOBERFEST–The Biker Chip from Sturgis South Dakota came to Daytona for Biketoberfest and opened at the famous Speedway. All sorts of stories and reports were running around about the wild parties of Sturgis. They included nudity, bikini, wet t-shirt, no shirt contests, and pickle lickin competition.

The speedway officials promised community leaders none of that, and as far as I know there wasn’t. I know I didn’t see any of it when I attended Friday evening. Of course there were members of the Sheriff’s Department on hand to make sure nothing was going on that might offend any of the do-gooders in the community who want to Clean Up The Party Image of the worlds most famous beach.

I’d describe it as a concert attended by Bikers and alcohol was available. As opposed to some of the large bars where obviously alcohol was the main draw and the offered musical entertainment. Like most of the places in the area you could ride your motorcycle into the event and party.

I liked it. It was a change of pace for me. It wasn’t crowded, but then again a lot of places weren’t. With the overall attendance down it was hard to tell if it was due to the venue or the event. The Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff said, “We’re just a bunch of mature people who want to talk with friends, drink beer and listen to good music.”

It cost $20.00 dollars to get in and that included all the draft beer you could drink, well up to the time you showed you were having too much. You could also sleep on site, if you wanted to or if you had too much to drink. Add a well known musical group and it was a good deal.

I expect, as the word spreads, you’ll see this event grow.

See you there Bike Week.

–ROGUE

ESTOK RIDES BUELL TO VICTORY AT F-USA THUNDERBIKE FINALE– Evo-Twin/Harding Harley-Davidson Team Riders Finish Season 1-2 in Points.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Oct. 24, 2004) ? Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson rider David Estok took the pole aboard a Buell Firebolt by cruising to an easy victory at the final Formula USA National Thunderbike race of the 2004 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win was his third of the season and locked up his runner-up finish in the Thunderbike national championship.

Estok led all qualifiers with a 1:31.942 lap around the infield road course. Williams Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Randy Rega, also aboard a Buell Firebolt, was the second-fastest qualifier with a time of 1:32.583.

Estok?s Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson teammate Bryan Bemisderfer qualified 10th aboard his Buell Firebolt, but was black-flagged on lap two of the race with a smoking exhaust. According to team owner Jeff Harding, no oil leak or other problem was discovered on Bemisderfer?s bike, but because he lost a lap in the pits, he did not return to the race. Estok roared off to a quick lead in the 12-lap race and was never challenged as he claimed his third Thunderbike win of the season.

Suzuki-mounted Motorcycle Performance rider Ed Key finished 4.705 seconds behind Estok after a race-long battle for second place with Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson rider Tim Bemisderfer, who also rode a Buell Firebolt. Suzuki rider Michael Niksa was fourth, followed by Hoban Brothers Buell of Appleton rider Jeff Johnson on a Buell in fifth. Blue Springs Harley-Davidson rider Walt Sipp was sixth on a Buell, followed by Joe Rozynski on a Kosco Harley-Davidson Buell Firebolt.

Championship recap

Despite not finishing the race, Bemisderfer had already clinched the Thunderbike championship with a win at the Las Vegas round Sept. 19.

?Another win by David is a great way to end a successful season for this team,? said team owner Jeff Harding. ?When we started the year, we were hoping we could go one-two in the championship with this pair of talented riders, and that?s just how it worked out.?

The Corning, N.Y.-based Evo-Twin Racing/Harding Harley-Davidson team won four of the eight races on the 2004 Formula USA Thunderbike schedule, with Estok and Bemisderfer placing first and second together at the Daytona and Las Vegas rounds. Bemisderfer won the title with 105 points; Estok followed in second place with 93 points. Johnson was third with 73 points.

?This was our team?s most successful season to date,? said Harding. ?Our riders got great support all year from crew chief Shannon Destasio and crew members Bill Ripley and Jim Lapey. We have not locked down our plans for next season, but we?d like to be back with both riders.?

The Formula USA National Thunderbike series is a horsepower-to-weight ratio restricted class, open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders competing in the eight-event 2004 Thunderbike series raced for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company and Buell Riders Adventure Group (BRAG).

BIKE SCORE OF THE WEEK– I bought this 1967 triumph chopper from my inlaws for a $1,000. it’s been in storage for 27 years. I’m looking to change out the front end for something a little shorter. massachusetts

“Mikey”
Massachusetts

BIKERNET OFFICIAL ADVICE–A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, Iclocked you at 80 miles per hour, sir.”

The driver says, “Gee, officer I had it on cruise control at 60, perhaps your radar gun needs calibrating.”

Not looking up from her knitting the wife says: “Now don’tbe silly dear, you know that this car doesn’t have cruise control.”

As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks overat his wife and growls, “Can’t you please keep your mouth shut for once?”

The wife smiles demurely and says, “You should be thankfulyour radar detector went off when it did.”

As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegalradar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and saysthroughclenched teeth, “Darn it, woman, can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

The officer frowns and says, “And I notice that you’re notwearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine.”

The driver says, “Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on,but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket.”

The wife says, “Now, dear, you know very well that you didn’thave your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you’re driving.”

And as the police officer is writing out the third ticketthe driver turns to his wife and barks, “WHY DON’T YOU PLEASE SHUT UP??”

The officer looks over at the woman and asks, “Does yourhusband always talk to you this way, Ma’am?”” Only when he’s been drinking.”

–from Rev CarlR

MY FIRST HARLEY STORIES ROLLING IN–Here’s Art Parry’s bike and his story is coming to Bikernet shortly. We’re running a series of stories on how guys and dolls came across their first Harleys. Some will tweek your senses, blow your minds or bring back somber memories. Check ’em out on the Home Page or roam into the Two-Wheeled Tale department under non-fiction.

S&S ANNOUNCES CONTINUED AHDRA SPONSORSHIP–LAS VEGAS, NV (October 25, 2004) S&S is pleased to announce the continued sponsorship of the AHDRA during the 2005 racing season. S&S will be the official sponsor for three races – Bakersfield, CA on May 13-15, Budds Creek, MD on July 15-17, and Bristol, TN on August 5-7. For the 2005 race season, S&S will award the top five teams, in the four S&S sponsored classes listed below, with a cash bonus for their achievements. These awards are based on total championship points and will be distributed at the annual awards banquet in Las Vegas at the end of the 2005 race season. S&S is once again offering generous contingency award certificates for 11 classes throughout the 2005 racing season.

S&S is showing its dedication by increasing sponsorship from three to four classes during the 2005 AHDRA season. In addition to Pro Stock, Pro Gas, and Super Sport, S&S is proud to announce the creation and enthusiastic support of the new S&S 124-inch Challenge class. ?S&S has always been interested in starting a grass roots race class and our president, Brett Smith, was able establish this new class with the AHDRA immediately following the success of the 124? VFI Challenge Project,? said Jody Anderson, S&S Race Department Manager. ?This new class promises to attract new racers, many of which are on a limited budget, to go fast and safe at an organized AHDRA event. We look forward to the new interest this class will create. This is a new avenue for the average racing enthusiast to show their stuff at the track.?

?We are also very pleased to show our support of the AHDRA and the race teams with a cash payout of nearly $25,000 at the end of the 2005 racing season,? continues Anderson. ?This is an increase of over $4,000 from the 2004 racing season. This 2005 cash payout includes supporting the addition of the S&S 124? Challenge class and increasing awards for the Pro Gas and Super Sport classes respectively. Rewarding the hard-working race teams for their achievements in the 2005 racing season is very important to S&S.?

S&S has also stepped it up in a big way with contingency awards for first place winners in 10 classes for each of the 15 races in the 2005 AHDRA season. These certificates range in value from $200 to $60, depending on the class. There will be contingency award certificates specifically for the S&S 124? Challenge class. These awards range in value from $700 for 1st place to $100 for 8th place, in each race. First place certificates will be awarded at the coveted winner?s circle following each race. ?S&S looks forward to another great year working with the AHDRA and providing proven performance products to the many valued racers and customers throughout the industry,? said Ted Grabowski of the S&S Racing Department.

MONSTER GARAGE CHOPPER-BUILD REQUESTS–We have received many calls as to when the MG 50 episode will air again.In contacting Discovery channel, they do not have it scheduled for the rest of this calendar year and they are not sure as to when, if at all, it will air again.

I was informed that there are many reasons to consider. One of which is per requests for the show. If you would like to let Discovery know that you have had many requests you can call 859-342-8439.

Let them know you want it to air again. Here’s an e-mail address to write to: Hope Moore, hmoore@origprod.com.

–Nancy Rowe

Composed By Panhead Josh Of Outlaws World

STATE INSTALLS METERED TRAFFIC LIGHTS ON I-95 ENTRY RAMPS– The Florida Department of Transportation is installing metered traffic lights on Interstate 95 ramps to manage traffic during rush hour.

The ramp metering system will be in operation from Ives Dairy Road to Northwest 62nd Street late next year, officials said. The system, in which traffic lights channel merging traffic, is being implemented to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes during rush hour, department officials said.

The system will incorporate meters to control merging traffic from the ramps to the highway. Sensors along the highway will measure gaps between vehicles and transmit the information to a center, where the traffic lights would be controlled.

During peak traffic hours, ramp metering can increase traffic from 1,400 automobiles per lane per hour to up to 2,200, according to US Department of Transportation statistics. In addition, meters can cut crashes up to 50% during the peak of rush hour, the federal department says.

About 220,000 vehicles enter the 11-mile section of I-95 daily, according to department records.

By Tom Harlan

–from Rogue
http://www.bikerrogue.com

Continued On Page 2

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