Key tips for enthusiasts

No matter how old we get, we keep daydreaming. It’s these hopeful visions of what’s possible that help fuel the proliferation of the barn find trend. So, let’s all close our eyes and ponder: What you would do if you opened that random garage door and found a 1928 first year of the Harley Flathead 45 or a racing OHV Peashooter? Where does one even start in bringing a project like that back to life? As the venerable Tom Cotter has said any number of times on the Barn Find Hunter video series, it certainly involves more than just dropping in a fresh battery, airing up tires, and turning the key. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier to bring a bike back to life than a car.

CLICK HERE To Read this Feature Article on Bikernet.com Now stay updated on Motorcycle market news, tech, tips, reviews, products, deals, events & fun – simply Subscribe to Bikernet Free Weekly Newsletter – click to sign-up

Vintage Motorcycle Racing at Its Best!

Photos and text by Rogue

Inspired by early 20th century board-track races the Sons Of Speed Race has motorcycles that are direct drive meaning no clutch or transmission (when the engine is running the rear wheel is turning) in what is called the 61 classes.

Early 61s are the older and slower 61 cubic inch boardtrack racers
Hot 61s are the faster 61-cubic-inch boardtrack racers
45 Shoot Out are the 45-cubic-inch flathead racers.

CLICK HERE To Read this Photo Feature Article on Bikernet.com

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Where Does Your State Rank?

Last month the Motorcycle Riders Foundation released our first call to action of 2022. The call to action was related to H. Res 366, the anti-motorcyclist profiling resolution in the House of Representatives. Since its release, over 1,600 bikers have taken a moment to click a few buttons and have their voice heard.

One great part about this call to action is that if your lawmaker has already been supportive of the resolution, they get a thank you email. While if your member of congress has yet to act, it explains the issues and asks for support.

We’ve seen great results from this effort. Since the beginning of February, 26 new representatives have signed on as cosponsors!

If there is one thing we know about bikers, they are a competitive bunch. So, to inspire even more engagement, here’s a list of the top 5 states who’ve taken the time to answer the call.

1. Wisconsin – 176
2. Michigan 155
3. New York 136
4. Texas – 124
5. Arizona 118

The map also shows you how many bikers from each state have contacted their member of the House.

If you have already done the call to action, we thank you! But let’s keep the pressure up! You don’t need to do it again, but you can share the link below, forward this email and hit social media. Let’s get as many bikers as we can to take 2 minutes out of their day to spread the word on profiling.

If you want Washington D.C. to address the profiling of bikers click here.

As always, Ride Safe and Ride Free!

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders.
Website: https://mrf.org/

13 of 150 Spots Left To Go. Will 13 Of You Throw In?

@ Only $20 a spot

Yup, 13 more to go then we select a winner!

Nash Motorcycle Blue Collar Chopper Builders Special!! 1982’ HD XLH 1000 Ironhead Rigid Chopper Build Giveaway.

Pretty Darn Good Odds!

If you’re interested, please choose the “Friends & Family” option in payment. When we see your contact info in Venmo or PayPal, you’re in! Damon will DM you back to confirm.

Imagine a chance at getting this platform of pure potential for $20! That’s cheaper than a night’s worth of beer for many of you. There’s little reason not to go for it!

The specs:

• Complete engine- 1982’ HD XLH 1000
• Paughco frame
• 19” high shoulder front rim, 16” stock rear
• Narrow 39mm Sporty front end with very clean shaved lowers
• New 12” chrome traditional Apes, Flanders style
• Stock 4’ HD risers chrome
• Mechanical rear brake, caliper style front brake
• Old King Sporty tank (will need paint work on it) thrown in
• NO TITLE, AND PICK UP LOCAL (will meet you) OR YOU PAY TO SHIP IF OUT OF STATE. (Bike is in Oceanside, CA)

Contact

Contact Damon George if you have any questions, want to pay with a Zelle QuickPay option, or just want to confirm your successful registration
…DM @Rocco123 on Instagram
…(or) Email damon@nashmotorcycle.com

Road Map

• You will be given your unique spot #(’s) once you purchase
• Once all spots are filled, Damon will announce the giveaway day and time to watch live on Instagram.
• You will also be contacted before the giveaway goes live with the live event’s date and time to see if you have won!

WEBSITE: https://nashmotorcycle.com/

See A Video Walkaround Of The Build Here

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Tune In: HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD Premieres on Discovery

THE TODDFATHER IS BACK ON DISCOVERY! TODD HOFFMAN IS READY TO STRIKE GOLD ONCE AGAIN IN ALL NEW SERIES HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD

HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD PREMIERES  MARCH 25, FRIDAY AT 10 P.M. ET/PT ON DISCOVERY

WATCH TRAILER HERE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When gold runs in your veins, you can’t stay away forever. Todd Hoffman started Discovery’s gold mining craze, and tonight he returns to Discovery with the premiere of HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD at 10 p.m. ET/PT after the GOLD RUSH finale. Episodes will be available to stream the same day on discovery+, and starting Friday, April 1, new episodes will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery.

Four years after he walked away from his tumultuous mining career to focus on his family, Todd has been given an opportunity too good to pass up and is returning to Alaska for one final shot at redemption. With his father Jack and his son Hunter in tow, will the Hoffmans be able to save a struggling mine for the ultimate payday? Or have they bitten off more than they can mine?

Love him or hate him, fans of Discovery’s No. 1-rated show GOLD RUSH have watched Todd Hoffman from the very beginning when the original dreamer took to mining and launched the franchise. Todd has excavated mine after mine for a chance to strike it rich in gold. After hanging up his gold pan more than four years ago, Todd is banking his future mining career on turning around a rundown mine far off the grid 80 miles north of Nome, Alaska. With Alaska’s unforgiving weather, rookie crews and beat up equipment, the mine is struggling to keep operations going. Trying to save this mine is a big gamble for Todd, but if he is successful, he will secure the mining rights for the next decade and could build a family legacy. But Todd arrives on site with just seven weeks before winter rolls in. Will Todd, Jack and Hunter Hoffman along with their crew be able to find enough gold to get this mine in the black? Or will this be the last mining chapter for the Hoffmans?

In HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD, Todd’s taking on this huge risk and potentially bigger reward with the team he trusts most. Todd’s father Jack and his son Hunter will be making the long trek to Alaska along with a veteran crew of gold miners including Jim Thurber, foreman Andy Spinks and bush mechanic Randy Hubler. How will the current crew react when Todd and his team arrive? Will Randy be able to fix all the failing equipment? But most importantly, will they all be able to work together to find gold?

Follow the conversation on social media with #HoffmanFamilyGold. Follow Discovery on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and Todd on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more updates.

HOFFMAN FAMILY GOLD was produced by Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, with Craig Piligian, Mike Nichols and Franco Porporino Jr. as executive producers. Michael Gara is executive producer for the Discovery Channel, along with coordinating producer Greg Wolf.

No matter how old we get, we keep daydreaming. It’s these hopeful visions of what’s possible that help fuel the proliferation of the barn find trend. So, let’s all close our eyes and ponder: What you would do if you opened that random garage door and found a 1928 first year of the Harley Flathead 45 or a racing OHV Peashooter? Where does one even start in bringing a project like that back to life?

As the venerable Tom Cotter has said any number of times on the Barn Find Hunter video series, it certainly involves more than just dropping in a fresh battery, airing up tires, and turning the key. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier to bring a bike back to life than a car.

If you are fortunate to buy from the last owner and he has history with the bike, take detailed notes. Even stop the conversation to find paper and a pen. Not only will the history add value to the purchase, but might contain additional resources or even remind the owner about spare parts or trophies he might have hidden in the basement.

Set a plan and a budget

Is this a full restoration? Bare minimum to get it running and enjoyable? An attempt to simply lock in the time-capsule look and stabilize the bike for even longer storage or a custom project?

Each of these approaches comes with its own priorities and picking a goal will steer your decisions moving forward. There is no shame in admitting you bought something just because it was cool, but now that it’s home you probably need to figure out what you are actually going to do with it.

Writing out your plan and setting a budget give you guardrails on the path this project will take. You will certainly hit these guardrails, and how rigid they really are is up to you. These check-up points help keep things from rapidly spiraling to a bare frame on the floor or an empty bank account when “while I’m in there” syndrome attacks.

Start your list

The key to any successful project is organization, inspiration and passion. Now is the time to start writing down what you know, what you need, and whose brain to pick. The human brain is not an iron trap, so it has a way of letting valuable information slip away into the ether (more often than any of us would care to admit). All the details that the seller told you should be the first things you write down, so you aren’t left trying to recall exactly what they said, and what kind of work was or wasn’t done.

Start the list of parts or materials you already know you will need; at the top of that particular list should be a factory service manual.

Find what’s missing

Looking at schematics is a great way to find not only how a system works but also clearly shows if you might be missing pieces.

The battery disappeared years ago. That’s an easy one to spot.

In a perfect world, this step would have been performed before purchase, but we are being realistic by including it in the post-purchase steps; there is often a lot going on during the inspection and buying process. Long-stored cars are often pilfered for parts or half-disassembled for one reason or another. Sometimes that’s why it ended up in the barn.

Other times it was an attempt to get it out of the barn that fell short. Regardless, it’s more than likely that parts of your new treasure are no longer with it. If you are very familiar with a particular model you can spot the items that went AWOL, but most people will need a little help to find exactly what is gone and determine the importance of each missing component.

I have found that referencing assembly drawings or exploded images is a great way to accomplish this step. Finding these drawings in service manuals or parts catalogs is the best way I’ve been able to consistently get clear and accurate drawings.

Many manuals contain photos, while parts manuals contain line drawings. Between the two, you can sort out the image and the part number.

These books show me not only what each part is, but gives me part numbers and how it interacts within the system. Use these books and the internet to identify parts in the boxes that came with your barn find as well.

Take photos. Lots of photos.

All that dirt and grime holds information, believe it or not. Witness marks of what was leaking, what had been disturbed or disassembled, and what has been absolutely neglected.

Taking photos to document exactly what you brought home is good to have for the future before/after picture, but also as a reference should you need to double-check your own memory of the project’s starting point. Make references in your master list to specific photos easily by writing number on sheets of paper and putting them in the frame of the photo.

You can then easily find these by photos by saving the files to Google Photos or some other cloud service where the AI powered search can sort through hundreds or even thousands of photos and find just the one you need when you search just the number in the image.

For me, cleaning is both the most critical and least fun process in this whole adventure. Careful cleaning will do one of two things for you: reveal more problems than you ever imagined or show just how sharp you were to buy your barn find.

For my project, the process included a pressure washer, Simple Green, and a soft scrub brush to break up the caked-on grease. For something more delicate it might mean a careful hose rinse followed with a specific list of products to lift the dirt and preserve the finish underneath. (Exactly which products depends entirely on the surface material as well as the nature of the soil.)

Be careful of pressure washers. They can remove paint.

Let’s see what Kyle comes up with in his second report. The major factors in any project include desire, tools, resources and drive. There are thousands of cool project lanquishing in garages all over the country. We are so fortunate that we live in a country (maybe not California in the near future) where you can take on most any project and build an award-winning scooter.

Between, google, Jay Leno and many YouTube videos you can find anything about anything and the resources to get it done. You can ship the engine to an expert for a rebuild, while you restore the chassis. You can find a painter to make it shine again and you can take care of the final assembly. You can find a guy who has been building bikes for 50 years, like Larry Settles, who will be glad to wire your creation if wiring intimidates you.

Just don’t give up, resources, tools, vintage parts and info abound.

It’s Feeling Good

One day it was winter, then someone threw a switch, the temps jumped 40 degrees and the sun blazed. Suddenly, it was spring and we started jamming around the region checking out historic sites, museums and ghost towns.

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

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Hey,

Another interesting day in Paradise.
They finally found the time and the weather to pour the concrete slab in the shop. Then we almost ran into a community issue. Outlaws and citizens don’t always mix or never do. What is it?

One day it was winter, then someone threw a switch, the temps jumped 40 degrees and the sun blazed. Suddenly, it was spring and we started jamming around the region checking out historic sites, museums and ghost towns. We are reading the history of Seth Bullock and watched the Deadwood series movie the other night.

The next night I watched Against the Ice, an incredible movie about searching portions of Greenland looking for a lost expedition. It took me right back to the winter. Hang on, let’s hit the news:

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

QUOTE FROM GREEN MURDER—No data shows us that there is a climate crisis or climate emergency. Any computer projections of global climate using land temperature measurements are deeply flawed and we should treat all claims, models, trends and predictions based on these with a very large pinch of salt. If the data is dodgy, why do we even bother with the projections and models developed from this data?

This is the science we are being asked to follow. This is the science that underpins the signing of ruinous international agreements and expenditure of trillions to solve a non-problem. This is the science that underpins a complete structural change of the economy. No thanks.

–Ian Plimer
Author

OIL DROPS IN EUROPE–Oil edges lower as EU looks less likely to ban Russian oil

Oil edged lower on Tuesday after it looked unlikely that European Union nations would agree to join the United States in a Russian oil embargo in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

Brent crude fell 14 cents, or 0.2%, to settle at $115.48 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended 36 cents, or 0.3%, lower at $111.76. On Monday, both contracts had settled up more than 7% on the potential EU ban.

Source: www.moneycontrol.com

NEWS FROM THE CLASSIC EASYRIDERS MAGAZINE FRONT–
Those who paid and pre-ordered the usb drive containing 50 years of the original Easyriders magazine got the below email.

They blame the “pandemic” for the backup at the California port.

–Anonymous Contributor

Subject: Classic Easyriders 50 Year Digital Collection

Dear 50 Year Easyriders Digital Collection Customer,

We wanted to reach out and give you an update on your order. As you may be aware, the cargo shipment of Classic Easyriders Complete Digital Magazine Collection has been stuck in the Long Beach Port harbor for the past four months due to a major backup at the port due to the pandemic. We were recently informed that our cargo is reported as “missing” and will probably not be delivered.

Classic Easyriders and GIT Corp. is reproducing this shipment with a state-side manufacturer, and you should receive your order within the next 3-4 weeks.

We have updated the product with a few additional features such as instant digital download to any device and have added all current copies of our new publications from December 2021 to April 2022. You will be able to update the collection with monthly downloads of each new issue.

The product will also be produced on two, DVD9- discs, which will serve as a special collectible media (downloadable on any device) for keeping as a cherished Easyriders collection for many years to come.

I would like to sincerely thank you for your patience, support, and ongoing loyalty in helping us bring back the iconic name of Classic Easyriders magazine.

Sincerely,
John Peterson
Director of Customer Service
www.classiceasyriders.com

I bought some wooden hangers, which never arrived from Amazon. Maybe they are scattered on the train tracks in downtown Los Angeles due to thieves and looters. No one arrested. They defunded the police.–Bandit

Tickets on Sale for Off-Road Expo Presented by General Tire in Pomona, October 1-2

Tickets are now on sale for the Off-Road Expo Presented by General Tire, Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2 at Fairplex in Pomona, CA.

Save money by purchasing discount tickets online at offroadexpo.com. Adult single-day tickets (ages 13+) are $16 when purchased in advance online and $6 for kids (ages 6-12).

At the gate, Adult single-day tickets (ages 13+) are $20 and $7 for kids (ages 6-12). Children five and under will be admitted free of charge.

The off-road and sand sports industries come together at the Off-Road Expo Presented by General Tire as a full collection of leading companies including parts manufacturers, equipment suppliers, gear producers and industry experts/insiders unite for a full weekend of everything off-road and sand sports related.

More details on event features for the Off-Road Expo Presented by General Tire will be announced soon. Stay tuned to the Off-Road Expo website and social media channels.

For more information on the Off-Road Expo Presented by General Tire and to purchase discount tickets online, visit www.offroadexpo.com.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK–“People come to me all the time and they’re like, ‘Jim, I can’t do this; I’m not good at this.’ And I say, ‘Stop. If you fight for your limitations, you get to keep them,’?” he says. “People in our society are constantly talking about all the things they can’t do.”

The way he sees it, all behavior is driven by beliefs — and if someone believes they cannot do something, then they won’t be able to, no matter their level of accomplishment. “Your brain is a supercomputer, and an entrepreneur’s self-talk is the program that will run,” he says.

“This is not about being perfect,” he says. “This is about advancing and progressing beyond what we believe is possible. We live in a world where we’re outsourcing jobs to Asia, to automation, to artificial intelligence. What’s not going to be easily sent to a machine? What are the things that are truly limitless? There’s no limit to our creativity. There’s no limit to our imagination. There’s no limit to our ability to solve problems.”

The most limitless thing in the world, in other words, is us.

–Kwik
From Epoch Times

BRAND NEW New Bikernet Reader Comment!–ST. PADDY’S DAY BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for March 17th, 2022

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/ST_PADDYS_DAY_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_March_17th_2022.aspx

I think it was Julius Caesar that was murdered on the Ides of March, too much power, as they say power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

The Ides of March stands for the date of March 15, 44BC, when Roman leader Julius Caesar ignored the warning of a seer and was assassinated. Assassinations are generally known as the politically motivated murder of an important public figure. Caesar’s was a major turning point in Roman history, triggering a civil war.

— Ruben Serrano Sr.
streetchopper81@gmail.com
Sinton, TX

You are absolutely right.–Bandit

THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM’S LARGEST ANNUAL FUNDRAISER—
Even when parked and silent, a Panhead Bobber grabs your attention. Stripped of a front fender, the springer fork gets more dramatic, the chromed out motor is front and center. The tanks and top frame tube drive your eyes to the fat rear wheel and fender. The upswept pipes and trumpet megaphones the final touch.

With a couple of prime kicks through the Linkert carb, builder Dave Ohrt says a third kick and it roars to life, settles to a nice idle, rumbles through the upswept pipes and trumpet megaphones.

This is a real 1951 Harley-Davidson FL motor, frame and forks, stripped down years ago. Tank trim, badges, even the mirror are O.E.M. Harley-Davidson. The taillight, you may notice, is a real Sparto piece and the dash and police speedo are original Harley-Davidson. The “mousetrap” clutch, a 1952 Harley-Davidson innovation, is a useful addition.

Cadmium and plenty of chrome plating, plus Parkerized fasteners are styling counterpoints; flash against a subtle industrial finish, just enough of each.

This Bobber, built over a decade ago, has been fettled, as the Brits say, and has logged test miles by builder David Ohrt since its complete, fresh rebuild.

ENTER TO WIN THE ULTIMATE POWERSPORTS WEEKEND AT PROGRESSIVE IMS OUTDOORS

Get packed up and ready to ride! Progressive IMS Outdoors is hitting the road again in 2022, visiting 8 cities across the U.S., with demo rides, learn to ride courses, kid’s activities, shopping, bike shows, live entertainment and more.

Prizes include 4 tickets to a 2022 Progressive IMS Outdoors event of your choice, plus 4 souvenir tees and camping for up to 3 nights, Scott USA Goggles and prize pack, set of Dunlop motorcycle tires, Bell Race Star DLX Matte Carbon helmet, and much more!

FROM THE HAL ROBINSON NERVE CENTER–Back again. I talked with Marie. She imported the original photo of “Live to Ride” to Photo Shop and from there went to Illustrator to create the work on the scarf/bandana.

Back to cleaning my room.

–Mrs. Robinson

TEXAS VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE FANDANGO IS ON!–April 1-3, 2022 Fredericksburg TX. Fandango will be open to the public Fri/Sat April 1/2.

Sunday April 3rd Vendors, Racers and Attendees tend to start packing up to travel back across America to their home. Vintage Enthusiasts who wish to stay in the region and ride their old motorcycles can meet at The Inn of The Hills, Kerrville TX; Sunday afternoon April 3rd. On Monday, Tuesday, (and some people Wednesday?) many of us will be riding the Finest Back Country Motorcycle Roads in Texas.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not an organized, sanctioned, nor insured road run event. There is no itinerary, no route maps, no sweep truck and no planned meals. Everyone is responsible for their own hotel rooms, transportation / repairs on their own motorcycles, meals and their own safety while riding.

It is just a way for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts from all across America to be able to add a couple more days of warm weather, Bluebonnet & Wildflower lined Texas Hill Country roadways and scenery to their already planned trip to Texas. It also allows Cherokee Chapter AMCA Members & Fandango Volunteers some much deserved rest and relaxation after all their hard work setting up, running and takedown of this Annual Event.

Thank You in Advance for traveling to Texas and Supporting

— Steve Klein
Past President,
Events Marketing
Cherokee Chapter of the AMCA Vintage Enthusiasts

LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK— 2021 Indian Motorcycle Challenger Titanium Smoke FOR $21,995.00

SEE IT HERE: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=11828947

STOCK # 13224

2021 RUBY METALIC INDIAN MOTOCYCLES CHALLENGER LIMITED

ONLY 4012.00 Miles !!!!!

This bike is a LOW MILEAGE bike super clean

Some of the features/Add-ons on this bike

* 108c.i. Motor (1770cc) with 122hp and 128ft of torque
* 6-Speed trans.
* 180/16 rear tire and a 130/19 front
* Brembo brakes with ABS
* Inverted front suspension
* Dynamic traction control

Just $21,995.00

Plus license, and a $85.00 documentation fee and your local sales tax. NO HIDDEN FEES like dealers. We have no reconditioning or prep fees.

This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 92-point safety and mechanical/structural inspection.

You can fill out an online application with EZ FINANCING and EXTENDED WARRANTIES available to purchase!!! and you can ride today!

Lifestyle Cycles located at 1510 State College Blvd,Anaheim,CA,92806 NOT LOCAL WE HAVE ******SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!******

Call today (714) 490-0155. **Open 7 days a week**

To view our current inventory, please visit www.LifestyleCycles.com or www.facebook.com/LifestyleCyclesUsedHarleys/

CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE–First Stop…
The Donnie Smith Bike Show St. Paul, MN!
The 33rd Annual Dennis Kirk Donnie Smith Bike Show, March 26,27 2022, SATURDAY 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM SUNDAY 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Donnie Smith Bike Show & Swap Meet,

BUDWEISER HAPPY HOUR 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. SECOND 2 NONE BAND LIVE vendors of all types, the largest custom bike show in the Midwest. Midwest Extravaganza!!

Meet the staff and check out the boss’s new FXR.

–Bandit

NEWS FROM THE TEXAS WEATHERMAN—
Was sorry to read about Mike, we’re all getting older. To me it was different & better then, as those like yourself, Greg at MC, others that have already gone. A lot of knowledge will be lost, just personal I don’t understand smoking a tire until your engine explodes.

Been on an adventure, 82-year-old mother broke her good arm on the 24th, go to rehab on the 8th and nothing good seemed to happen. She was getting worse.

Now in the hospital yesterday, blood clots in her lungs and a 5cm dark spot on her left lung. They are treating the clots with blood thinners and want her on those through Sunday evening. Then biopsy on the lung spot on Monday.

Life goes on
–RFR

FEATURE BIKE OF THE WEEK—Direct from Bill Dodge at Bling’s Custom Cycles.

–Sam Burns
Feature Bike Editor
Bikernet.com™

NEWS FROM THE CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS–Europe’s energy insecurity, which has rendered it impotent to act against Putin, has been caused by its foolish abandonment of domestic fossil fuel production.

The cause of Europe’s energy insecurity, which has rendered it impotent against Putin, is simple: When you restrict domestic fossil fuel production on the false promise of replacement by unreliable solar and wind, you become dangerously dependent on foreign production.

As Vladimir Putin continues to wage war in Ukraine and Europe struggles to do anything about it, Europe’s extreme energy dependence on Russia is being laid bare. Even though Russia is overall an economic weakling compared to Europe, it is still able to extort Europe on energy.

40% of Europe’s natural gas—which it desperately needs for heating and electricity—comes from Russia. For Germany, the number is 50%. And Russia has already kept Europe’s natural gas storage at low levels.

Germany, after not extending the lifetime of its remaining nuclear reactors, is planning on getting its first LNG terminal online in 2 years. Until then, as economic minister Robert Habeck has made clear, banning Russian gas in Germany would devastate Germany.

Meanwhile, Russia has found an ally in China, which will receive more of Russia’s oil and gas as Western countries try to reduce their dependence. A rising, militant Russia allying with a rising, increasingly militant China is a terrifying state of affairs.

Europe’s vulnerability to Russia was completely preventable. Europe and its allies have all the natural gas, coal, and uranium they need to produce low-cost, reliable heat and electricity for generations to come.

But anti-fossil fuel, anti-nuclear policies have neutered Europe.

For the last 2 decades Europe has destroyed its ability to produce and import energy from fossil fuels and nuclear—on the promise that unreliable solar and wind could replace them. But after trillions in subsidies, it’s clear that they have failed.

One major cause of Europe’s current energy impotence is its numerous bans on the greatest natural gas producing technology ever invented: fracking. Fracking has been banned by France, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and the UK.

All the European nations that banned fracking are still 100% dependent on natural gas to survive. In fact, they are even more dependent than they used to be because their use of intermittent solar and wind requires the unique flexible backup that natural gas can provide.

Another major cause of Europe’s current energy impotence is its opposition to LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) import terminals—combined with the US’s opposition to export terminals. If not for these, Europe could get a lot of its gas from America—not Russia.

Still another major cause of Europe’s current energy impotence is its dual policy of prematurely shutting down coal plants and nuclear plants—leading to extreme reliance on natural gas from Russia. E.g., anti-coal Germany just shut down 3 of its last 6 nuclear reactors.

The #1 lesson of Europe’s natural gas dependence is this: European governments have wildly overestimated the ability of solar and wind to provide the energy they need and wildly underestimated the need for fossil fuels and nuclear to provide the energy they need.

If Europe’s level of dependence on Russia for natural gas scares you, know this: America is even more dependent on China for many of the key components of solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries than Europe is on Russia for natural gas.

The energy impotence and vulnerability to Russia caused by Europe’s solar-and-wind mandating, fossil-fuel-and-nuclear restricting policies should be a wake-up call to the US.

We must abandon Europe-copying anti-energy policies like Build Back Better.

Ominously, many anti-fossil fuel-forces in Europe and in the US, are not admitting their mistakes but instead claiming we need to further abandon fossil fuels in favor of unreliable solar and wind. Here’s why this is exactly wrong.

The best protection against energy insecurity is not the illusion of independence that solar and wind provide but the freedom to produce all kinds of energy, including fossil fuels, domestically, and the freedom to trade all kinds of energy with other civilized countries.

–Alex Epstein

NEWS FROM THE DESERT–I’m gonna ride ’til I can’t no more ..FTW. Happy Birthday…..”Yep” you are still older than me LOL

–Bob T.

A MEDITATION CAVE IN INDIA—A member of the Lotus Sculpture team is in India.

My friend, Raj, standing on one of the 84 mediation caves of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. It was made famous by the Beatles and one of our clients, Mike Love of the Beach Boys who learned transcendental meditation under the guru. It was amazing to walk around the abandoned ashram and go back in time to envision what life was like there in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

–Sir Lotus

SEATTLE SIZZLES–Amazon Bails Out of Downtown Due to Violent Crime Surge, Dodges the Consequence of Woke Policies

Amazon is getting out of Dodge. Well, more accurately, Seattle.

The massive, mostly online retailer announced recently that it’s relocating 1,800 employees out of a downtown Seattle location due to a huge uptick in violent crime.

“Given recent incidents near 3rd (Ave) and Pine (St), we’re providing employees currently at that location with alternative office space elsewhere,” an Amazon spokesman said, according to the New York Post. “We are hopeful that conditions will improve and that we will be able to bring employees back to this location when it is safe to do so.”

The Post noted that violent crime has rocked the city. In just the first week of March around the Amazon offices, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed, a homeless man was stabbed, and police had to shoot and kill a man who rammed into a federal building and fired a rifle.

Amazon has been only too eager to hop aboard woke causes, but the company seems a little less enthusiastic about woke consequences.

Seattle has been one of many big cities in America that has been hit with an explosion in violent crime since the summer of 2020, following the anti-police protests that often turned to riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

The trend hasn’t abated in 2022. If anything, it seems many cities are settling into a level of violent criminality not seen since the early 1990s.

Seattle has been one of the hardest hit. This is notable because before the crime spree, Seattle was a relatively safe city.

Not anymore.

“Long one of America’s safest cities, Seattle had 612 shootings and shots-fired incidents last year, nearly double its average before the pandemic,” The Wall Street Journal reported in early March. “The city has just experienced its two worst years for homicides since the 1990s, when murder rates were at all-time highs.”

A 2021 year-end crime report demonstrated the depth of the problem in Seattle. The report showed a 20% increase in violent crime over the year before. The number of aggravated assaults, up 24% from the previous year, hit its highest point in over a decade. Other crimes were way up too, including larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Property crimes, which were up by 9%, may have even been undercounted.

“Many victims no longer bother to call the cops,” the Journal reported. “Responses to 911 calls can take hours, and criminals are released soon after they’re arrested. Businesses say they fear their insurance costs will spike if they report what’s really going [on].”

–Jarrett Stepman
Epoch Times

STRIDER CUSTOM BIKE COMING FROM CABANA DAN—I’m using a new rear fender from 7 Metal West for my Kid’s Ride Charity Bike. It’s going to be an Arlen Ness Classic.

–Dan

NEWS FROM NHTSA–According to this new policy, low-volume vehicle manufacturers will be able to construct up to 325 replica vehicles a year—anything from old-school hot rods to mid-century muscle cars and more modern classics.

–Hang On

[page break]

TRICK-TOOLS SPONSORSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT–Trick-Tools and White Alligator Racing Partner-Up for Success

Metal fabrication tool and equipment retailing powerhouse Trick-Tools is excited to announce their partnership with Jerry Savoie’s White Alligator Racing (WAR) Pro Stock Motorcycle Team for the 2022 racing season.

Trick-Tools made the announcement on social media during the NHRA Pro-Stock Motorcycle season opener at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida—a race won in record-setting fashion by Karen Stoffer of the WAR team.

“We are very excited to be working with WAR,” said Trick-Tools president Bruce Van Sant. “Their performance and professional approach to the sport are a great match for our company. We are looking forward to seeing how this season goes and hope our involvement can help propel them to another championship year.”

The history behind Trick-Tools has deep roots in the sport of drag racing, specifically the two-wheel variety. Veteran racer, Bruce Van Sant, started Trick-Tools to help fund his own Pro Mod Motorcycle racing program in the mid-90s. From this humble beginning, Trick-Tools has grown into the largest supplier of high-performance metal fabrication tools on the planet.

“Our partnership with Trick-Tools, for myself, is very special! They started with a dream and turned it in to a reality, just like I did!” said Jerry Savoie, the championship-winning owner and rider of WAR and the world’s largest single-owner alligator farmer.

Throughout their 25 years of business, Trick-Tools has equipped the racing and performance industry with smart and lasting fabrication solutions that help racing businesses, including many NHRA teams, increase efficiency and productivity in their fabrication shops.

“This partnership with Trick-Tools helps us build the machines that win races. It is high-quality equipment that’s made in America, and we’ve actually used their tools long before this partnership.” explained Tim Kulungian, team manager for WAR. “It’s all the solutions you wish you had in your toolbox when you’re in the middle of a project.”

In addition to giving back to the sport, Trick-Tools hopes to promote their company’s message beyond the bigger teams of the NHRA Drag Racing Series and reach the fans as well, who are known for being get-in-your-garage fabricators who get their hands dirty on projects of their own.

“We go to work every day to help fabricators take their skills and their projects to the next level by offering the absolute best tools and equipment in all price ranges” stated Van Sant.

NEWS FROM 5-BALL RACING AND 5-BALL TATTOO—Here’s one of Frank’s latest portrait tattoos.

NEWS FROM THE CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS–Fossil fuels make us safer from climate

When we’re talking about climate, we always need to remember that the ultimate goal isn’t some exact temperature. It’s climate safety and climate livability.

Is the climate becoming more dangerous?

We often hear claims that climate safety has gotten worse and will continue to get worse. What we rarely hear about is how climate safety has improved through the protection effect of affordable energy.

What is the effect of climate on human beings? The best measure of that in this context is a statistic that almost no one talks about, climate-related deaths. That’s a statistic that inventories how many die from climate-related causes, such as storms, flood, extreme heat, and extreme cold.

The narrative is that our climate is becoming increasingly dangerous thanks to fossil fuels. The reality is that there has been a dramatic decrease in climate related deaths since we started using fossil fuels, particularly in the last 80 years as we started using a lot of them.

In the last 80 years, climate-related deaths have gone down by a rate of 98%.

That means previously people were 50 times more likely to die from a climate-related cause than they are today. To give you some related statistics to put this in context, in the 1920s and 1930s, there were multiple years where several million people worldwide died, including the peak year of 1931 with 3.7 million deaths. Adjusted for population, that’s over 10 million today. How many people die in a typical year today? 10-30,000.

How energy and technology have made us safer from climate

Climate safety is a problem that has largely been solved by using more technology, more energy, more industry, more development. If we really care about climate, there are lots of people who don’t have nearly enough technology, energy, and development to protect themselves from climate.

If we look at the full context and if we truly value human life, don’t people need more fossil fuels, not less? If we restricted fossil fuels and made energy more expensive for everybody, would people be safer from climate or not? If they had less ability to have air conditioning, if they had less ability to heat their homes, if they had less ability to build sturdy buildings, if they had less ability to have modern weather warning systems, if they had less ability to travel when a storm was coming, would they be better off or not? Restricting fossil fuels will not help climate safety. It will hurt it.

The lesson here is that nature doesn’t give us a safe climate that we make dangerous. It gives us a dangerous climate that we need to make safe.

If somebody is still concerned about CO2, then their policy should be to keep looking for new sources of energy, and find ones that are cheaper than fossil fuels. But to restrict fossil fuels, let alone to restrict fossil fuels and nuclear and hydro, as many anti-fossil fuel advocates support, is not going to make anyone better off at all and certainly not protect them from climate.

–Alex Epstein
Center for Industrial Progress

NEW TO BIKERNET—7 Metal West Fenders
Custom Chopper Fenders for Harley, Triumph, BSA, Honda, Yamaha

Need a custom size not shown here? It’s easy, just email or call !

Call Ron 414-702-6777 or Email: IRon1USA@gmail.com

Custom built fenders made to fit your individual build, pounded out of a single piece of sheet metal by hand in Milwaukee is what we do.

What we aren’t is the catalog off the shelf guy. That guy sells the fenders that are stamped overseas for the same price as ours. They are much thinner, and are offered in one or two sizes. These fenders are the ones that disappoint right out of the box because you didn’t realize how flimsy it was from the picture on the web. You then
spend the time to mount it and discover it doesn’t fit your tire. If you’re really good you then pay to paint it, and then watch it snap after a few hundred miles. If you can plan ahead, you can buy a much nicer fender for the same price that fits correctly, and only have to mount and finish it once.

From different materials (that you won’t find anywhere else in the world), widths, lengths, diameters, ribbed/smooth, and tip treatments. Each fender is made to order with lead times in the 2-3 week range to produce.

–Ron
7-Metal West

INDIAN MOTORCYCLE RACING WINS TEXAS HALF-MILE WITH
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE BY JARED MEES

Reigning SuperTwins Champion Secures First Win of 2022 Season, Jumps to Second on Leaderboard

Minneapolis, MN. (March 21, 2022) – Indian Motorcycle Racing, presented by Progressive Motorcycle Insurance, secured its second consecutive win of the 2022 American Flat Track season following a dominant performance by reigning SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees. Mees’ first win of the season places him in second on the championship leaderboard, just one point behind fellow Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman.

Following a fifth-place finish at the Volusia Half-Mile season opener, Mees, the defending champion, was seeking redemption at the Texas Half-Mile. After winning his semi and the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Mees demonstrated his racing prowess during the Main event. While JD Beach jumped out to an early lead in the Main, it was Mees who took control after just two laps. He quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, riding unchallenged the remainder of the 32-lap racing, to ultimately capture his first win of the 2022 season.

“This was a classic Jared Mees, bounce-back performance. After missing the podium last round, Mees answered with an impressive round that reminded everyone why he’s the No. 1 rider,” said Gary Gray, Vice President Racing, Service & Technology for Indian Motorcycle. “Though it’s early in the season, this was an important win for Jared as he looks to stay out front and at the top of the leaderboard throughout the entire season.”

In 2021, Mees demonstrated one of his finest performances of his career. After a mid-season knee surgery cost him critical points, Mees went on a historic run to earn his seventh career championship – securing nine consecutive podiums and winning five of the last seven races of the season. The strong finish edged him over fellow Wrecking Crew rider Briar Bauman and got Mees one championship closer to his career goal to meet Scottie Parker’s record of nine championships.

The 2022 American Flat Track season continues April 23 for the I-70 Half-Mile at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, MO.

Sponsors for Indian Motorcycle Racing’s American Flat Track efforts include Progressive Insurance, S&S®, Indian Motorcycle Oil, Bell Helmets, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.

For more information on Indian Motorcycle Racing, visit IndianMotorcycle.com and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

THE BILL BISH REPORT– H-DAY FOR EUROPEAN TRAFFIC PATTERNS
In a stunning joint international transportation announcement, all countries in Europe will begin switching over from left-sided driving to the right.

Per the cooperative trade agreement, effective midnight April 1st, on H-Day (for Högertrafikomläggningen, Swedish meaning “right-hand traffic”), all Cars and Trucks in every European foreign country will immediately pull to their right and henceforth drive on the right-hand side of the road like we do here in America.

If successful, in a carefully orchestrated 2-step governmental roll out period, the following April First all buses and motorcycles will switch sides too. =))

Hey, don’t get FOOLED by Fake News, on April Fool’s Day or anytime; enroll to receive timely and factual NCOM Biker Newsbytes monthly in your In Box for free by e-mailing “Subscribe” to the editor at NCOMBish@aol.com.

By the way, in reality, the islands of Britain, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus are the only four European countries still sticking to the left, and historians think the archaic lefty rule of the road originated in the eighteenth century with the prevalence of right-handed swords.

–Bill Bish
NCOM

See the whole report on Bikernet right now. –Bandit

QUICK, KEEP THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY WIDE OPEN— Stanley died in a fire and his body was burned badly. The morgue needed
someone to identify the body, so they sent for his two best deer hunting friends, Cooter and Gomer.

The three men had always hunted and fished together and were long time members of a hunting camp. Cooter arrived first, and when the mortician pulled back the sheet, Cooter said, ‘Yup, his face is burned up pretty bad. You better roll him over.

The mortician rolled him over and Cooter said, ‘Nope, it ain’t Stanley.

The mortician thought this was rather strange, so he brought Gomer in to confirm the identity of the body. Gomer looked at the body and said, ‘Yup, he’s pretty well burnt up; roll him over.

The mortician rolled him over and Gomer said, ‘No, it ain’t Stanley.’

The mortician asked, ‘How can you tell?’

Gomer said, ‘Well, Stanley had two assholes.”

”What! He had two assholes?” asked the mortician.

”Yup, we never seen ’em, but everybody used to say, ‘There’s goes Stanley with them two assholes.’ ”

Cooter and Gomer are both now employed in the Biden administration as planning, development, and strategy consultants.

–EL Waggs

TRIKES OF THE WEEK—

–Sam Burns
Supreme Trike Editor

THE VILLAGES OF ZAGORI—Ride through Greece.

September 28, 2021/in Europe, Greece, Travelogue,

Riding from Ioannina Greece in the remote northeastern region of Epirus, I head into the Pindos Mountains to explore the traditional stone villages of Zagoria (aka Zagorohoria, Zagori)

Just another day of riding the world in search of culture, cuisine, and connection.

Many think Greece is beaches, islands, and sambuca. But I find exciting new places in this warm and culturally rich country. I’m treated to stunning scenery, traditional architecture, and a cast of friendly characters that truly give color and flavor to this remote part of Greece.

Sometimes I feel that the classic WorldRider blog gets lonely. That’s because I’ve been enjoying pouring through terabyte upon terabyte of video footage I’ve shot all over the world and creating short video segments for my YouTube Channel.

A few weeks ago a reader of the blog and follower of my WorldRider.TV channel suggested that I post the newly produced videos on my blog. Not only would this keep it fresh and interesting, it allows readers who might not be YouTube subscribers the chance to watch the videos.

So, I’ve decided to bring some of the video stories here to the blog—especially from places I may not have written a blog post. So watch for more video drops here on the WorldRider blog.

Ride The World With Me — I’M ON A QUEST: For culture cuisine, and connection — in every country in the world. For over ten years, I’ve been riding around the world alone on my motorcycle. I’m not going to stop until I’ve ridden through every country in the world. So, jump over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel: http://bit.ly/wrytcs1

Ride with me.

–from World Rider

RESPONSE TO READER LETTER REGARDING NHTSA ANNOUNCEMENT–I tried to work with SEMA. At the time SEMA was only interested in show vendor sales not legislation. Recently they came around and started SAN, SEMA Action Network. I also approached the MIC to change their membership rules to support dealers. They turned me down at the time. Now their rules have changed.

Still the fossil fuel industry is seriously under fire due to Climate Doom. I believe, unless we break the doom, we will be the bad guys until we are gone. This is the strange aspect to this scenario. It’s simple, embrace the science all the science and there would be no doom and no power for the guys who want to eliminate fossil fuels. Green energy would be forced to stand on its own merits.

All we need to do is ask questions and request transparency and free speech. The data will take care of the rest. If the motorcycle industry, and the car industry requested the truth be told, the playing field would be leveled once and for all. And the Fossil Fuel industry, America and the world would be eternally grateful.

–Bandit

Top speed: 367.382 mph (591.244 km/h)
Dimensions: L: 21 ft (6.4 m); W: 22 in (0.56 m); …
Weight: 1,600 lb (730 kg) (?dry?)?
Power: 500hp @ 8500 RPM

–Wikipedia

Recently Dennis had to let Valerie Thompson, the undisputed world’s fastest woman, go and picked up a new pilot. They are planning big stuff in the future and new Sponsors for their next attempt to take the motorcycle world land speed record back this August.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for this historic effort and perhaps break the 400-mph barrier, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dennis at 530-362-6880.

–Bandit

GUN NUT REPORT–Three policy committees will each hear a bill affecting your Second Amendment rights.

Please contact each of the committees below to protect your Second Amendment rights and hunting heritage. In addition, you may click on each of the committees below to view their agenda and find information on participating in the hearings.

Assembly Public Safety Committee at 9:00AM on March 22nd

Pro-gun Assembly Bill 2033 extends the duration that a California concealed firearm license is valid, from two years up to five years.

Please click this button to ask the Assembly Public Safety Committee to SUPPORT AB 2033.

Senate Public Safety Committee at 1:30PM on March 22nd

Senate Bill 918 increases the fee on eligibility checks for precursor firearm parts and ammunition sales. While consumers who pay for basic eligibility checks on ammunition currently, and precursor parts beginning July 1st, won’t notice a price hike, they should. This is because CA DOJ has been charging above the statutory maximum for more than two years as a result of their efforts to utilize creative legislative drafting to raise the cost of background checks on firearm transfers. While CA DOJ continues to overcharge consumers, they are utilizing this legislation to authorize the current, and unlawful, fee structure.

Senate Education Committee at 9:00AM on March 23rd

Senate Bill 906 makes it mandatory that parents of students disclose firearm ownership status to the schools their children attend, including how they are stored. It requires that these questions be placed on the forms used to register or enroll students, and these forms may be made available to law-enforcement under certain conditions. This is a major invasion of privacy and potential harassment.

Please click this button to ask the Senate Education Committee to OPPOSE SB 906.

Go to the NRA web site to Take Action!
Thank you for taking action!

Yours in Freedom,

Ken Lan
Communications Coordinator
NRA-ILA

QUICK, New Bikernet Reader Comment!–ST. PADDY’S DAY BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for March 17th, 2022

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/ST_PADDYS_DAY_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_March_17th_2022.aspx

Happy belated birthday! My wife and I made our annual St. Patties shenanigans in Deadwood this past weekend. Never gets old! As it is said “Irish today, hung over tomorrow”

— Rik Savenko
rsavenko@hotmail.com
BISMARCK, ND

We were in the Number 10 Saloon until a patron got in a fight with a slot machine. The girls were amazing.

–Bandit

NEWS FROM THE V-TWIN VISIONARY–Building this Road King was a daunting task. I picked the bike up from @matt_laidlaw of @laidlaws_harley_davidson and rode it straight to @imzzelite.

Jim Iimes and I worked on it a fair bit, but I was in the middle of moving to AZ and Jim was in the beginning stages of the cancer that finally took him. So, the bike was shelved for almost a year. After Jim died my man @motorwitch picked up where IMZZ left off and finished the project Jim and I started.

This bike means a lot to me from both the people who helped me out as well the parts I used. From the @alloyartusa subframe, swingarm, chain drive and fork lowers, to the @pro_one_performance tubes, to the @legendsuspensions, @lyndall_brakes, @boostedbrad mids, @saddlemen seat, @dndexhaust and @hofmanndesigns carbon all these people who came together on this bike are not just partners and/or sponsors, but personal friends of mine and for that I am deeply honored.

–Jeff Holt
The V-Twin Visionary

THE CHIP FIGHT—And we’re not talking about the Buffalo Chip.The Global Fight Over Chips Is About to Get Even Worse

Sanctions are causing a shortage of microchips in Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Europe are spending billions in a race with China that could easily backfire.

Magdeburg in former East Germany is famous for its towering gothic cathedral, and not a lot else. It’s now about to play a key role in U.S. and European efforts to tilt the global balance of power.

Intel Corp. unveiled plans on March 15 to build a giant, 17 billion-euro ($18.7 billion) factory making cutting-edge semiconductors in the city, adding to new plants in Arizona and Ohio the company announced over the past six months.

They are part of Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger’s plan to wrest control of production from Asia and tackle the global shortage of chips exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic and exposed again following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The situation reinforces why we’re doing this project, and the need for globally resilient and balanced supply chain,” Gelsinger said after revealing the Magdeburg site.

His ambition is one that the U.S. and European Union are promising to back with a combined $100 billion in a subsidy race to reduce reliance on imports just as China plans to turn itself into a chip powerhouse. Behind closed doors, though, some people in the industry are getting increasingly concerned that the push to make the West more competitive might backfire.

Their worry is not only that the money will be too little, too late, but the political strings attached to the aid may complicate global supply chains further. Different parts of the planet will compete to secure supplies while championing domestic plants that can’t yet fill the void…

–By Jillian Deutsch, Debby Wu, and Jenny Leonard

The Motorcycle Industry Council Board of Directors re-elected officers and welcomed three new directors.

The board re-elected the officers who were selected in the December special election held after the previous chairman, Paul Vitrano, stepped down. In this month’s meeting, Chuck Boderman of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was re-elected chairman of the board; Kawasaki’s Bill Jenkins was re-elected as vice chairman; and Jim Woodruff of National Powersport Auctions was re-elected as treasurer/secretary.

“The MIC board reflects the financial investments made by the ten largest OE members and adds new voices to our discussions about current challenges and the industry’s future,” Boderman said. “We will continue to support the growth of the powersports industry and its expanding landscape. I welcome the new directors and I look forward to working on behalf of the entire powersports industry.”

The new MIC board includes representation from across powersports:

Nicole Allen, Comoto Holdings
Chairman Chuck Boderman, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Derek Brooks, Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.
Jeff Brown, EagleRider
Tim Calhoun, Hisun Motors Corp., U.S.A.
Kerry Graeber, Suzuki Motor USA, LLC
Robin Hartfiel, Dealernews
John Hinz, KTM North America, Inc.
Vice Chairman Bill Jenkins, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
Erik Larson, Piaggio Group Americas*
Joey Lindahl, Polaris, Inc.
Rod Lopusnak, Triumph Motorcycles America
Shawn McLean, BMW Motorrad USA*
Jeff Proctor, BRP, Inc.*

–MIC

DUCATI CLOSES BOOKS ON 2021—
Conceding that the pandemic problems, supply chain issues and now the conflict in Ukraine has called for extraordinary measures, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali reported the best revenues and operating profit in company history.

Ducati delivered 59,447 motorcycles to dealers around the globe, a 24% increase over 2020 (48,042) and +12% over 2019 (53,183). This accounted for record revenues € 878 million, up 30% over 2020 and +23% over 2019.

–DealerNews

#AMAVMD

–AMA

Overview

The world is your playground… shred it! This is the seat that every adventurous rider would be stoked to own. The maximized back support and ample seating area offer plenty of options for riding – or showing off – at a moment’s notice.

Shown with TDV Brown Distressed Vinyl seating and sides with the Diamond Stitch. Also available with Basket Weave, Pleated Stitch and our new Gripp Tape material – for when traction is needed! Many other custom materials and stitch graphics are available as well!
Specs

Driver Seating:
11″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
N/A

MSRP:
$540.00

Part Number:
LK-591DMBRNBK [’06-’17] Dyna

LATEST FROM CYCLE WORLD—A Note from the Executive Editor

There’s nothing like a big and burly high-performance V-twin. While many manufacturers have moved away from the V-twin for their sportbikes and super-nakeds, KTM soldiers on with the 1,301cc 75-degree DOHC LC-8 V-twin that powers its latest naked—the 1290 Super Duke R Evo. Cycle World contributor and motojourno legend Kent Kunitsugu put the semi-active-suspension-equipped Evo for a rip. It’s more track-focused than any Super Duke R to date, which does reduce comfort on the road, but the LC8’s torque and stonk quickly remedy any aches and pains with a supremely satisfying power delivery. Read the full report here.

This week saw the release of new motorcycles that are on the other end of the riding spectrum from the 1290 Super Duke R Evo, machines with much less power but plenty of character. Honda has announced the return of the ST125 Dax in Europe, while there is no official word for the US market yet, our UK contributor Ben Purvis makes a case in his first look article that it will be stateside soon enough.

Royal Enfield released details on a new model called the Scram 411. It shares much with RE’s popular Himalayan adventure bike, including the Harris Performance-designed frame and 411cc air-cooled single. It’s a sleeker scrambler design than the funky-cool Himalayan. We expect it will quickly gain fans just like the adventure machine that came before it.

Speaking of fans, Super73 has excelled at creating a nearly cultlike following when it comes to its electric bicycles. Now the Southern California company is moving into the motorcycle market with the recently announced C1X concept. While still a couple of years out from production the company is already taking deposits for $73. Morgan Gales attended the unveiling and has all the details.

As always, there’s more than we can fit into this email. So check out cycleworld.com for additional tests, reviews, and news.

Ride on,

Justin Dawes
Executive Editor

ANOTHER New Bikernet Reader Comment!–ST. PADDY’S DAY BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for March 17th, 2022

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/ST_PADDYS_DAY_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_March_17th_2022.aspx

Happy Birthday, have some raisin pie, you earned it.

–A.J.

HANG ON!—It’s all happening now.

Irish Rich, the boss of Shamrocks Custom Cycles is tuning this highly modified VL frame for my Knucklehead project. I ordered an engine with an alternator from S&S.

We are working on a story about Mike Egan the master restorer. His history and collection were beyond words. If you would like to add input to this saga, feel free to reach out to Bandit@Bikernet.com.

This is an antique foot warmer from the ’20s, which I might try to use as my Knucklehead oil tank.

The Sportster tank for the UL is flying together behind Greg Robley’s talents. It’s a classic.

I was going to work with Tim on a dumbbell rack, but Marcy makes one for just over $100. Can’t beat that and it was delivered in less than three days.

Hang on for more reports next week, and in the meantime Ride Free Forever!

–Bandit

Industry & Legislative Motorcycle News from USA and the world

Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish

National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) News provides updates on motorcycle industry, market, legislation, rights of bikers, motorcyclists in USA, and motorcycle news from around the world.

In this bulletin:

• MOTORCYCLISTS HELP OUT UKRAINE
• E.U. BANS MOTORCYCLE EXPORTS TO RUSSIA
• U.S. TRAFFIC FATALITIES / FATALITY RATE HIGHEST IN A DECADE
• ARIZONA LEGISLATURE APPROVES LANE FILTERING
• NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATOR CLAIMS BEING PROFILED FOR RIDING A MOTORCYCLE
• MOTORCYCLES ARE GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN AND BODY
• SMART MOTORWAY FAILS
• 2022 NCOM CONVENTION – NEW DATES & LOCATION ANNOUNCED

CLICK HERE To Read the March 2022 NCOM Newsbytes on Bikernet.com

The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).

Sign-up for Bikernet Free Weekly Newsletter to stay updated on Motorcycle market news, products, tech, reviews, events

CLICK Here to get all motorcycle industry updates once a week – its FREE!!!

Motorcycle brands across the spectrum of biking are coming together to assist people affected by the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, while multiple manufacturers have announced they will no longer sell bikes or supply parts to people in Russia, including Harley-Davidson, Suzuki and Honda, which is donating one million Euros to the Japanese Red Cross as humanitarian support for Ukrainians suffering through the enemy occupation.

Joining in on a growing list of economic sanctions, Yamaha, BMW, and Polaris have also halted exports to Russia in the wake of the ongoing crisis.

Ural publicly called for an end to the hostilities, while Timur Sardarov, the Russian CEO of MV Agusta, described the “horrific atrocities… conducted by the Russian regime” as the “biggest tragedy in his 40 years of existence” in an open letter. Both incredibly brave moves by Russian owned businesses.

There have also been moves from motorcycling groups from around the world to condemn Russia’s militaristic actions. Europe’s FIM (The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) has suspended all Russian and Belrusian riders’ licenses, with the British ACU (Auto Cycle Union) joining them in applying the same suspension for the UK. The FIM have also cancelled three MXGP rounds of racing that were due to take place in Russia.

E.U. BANS MOTORCYCLE EXPORTS TO RUSSIA
The European Union officially enacted additional trade restrictions on exports to Russia, in light of the latter nation’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on the export of European motorcycles and/or parts with values over 5,000 Euros. The measure comes as part of a list of additional prohibitions and restrictions on Russia as it continues this assault.

The motorcycle pronouncement, along with other decisions, were published in the Official Journal of the European Union on March 15, 2022 and, in accordance with the E.U.’s rules of governance, these rules immediately went into effect as of that publication date.

 

U.S. TRAFFIC FATALITIES / FATALITY RATE HIGHEST IN A DECADE
On March 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its 2020 Annual Traffic Crash Data, revealing the highest number of lives lost on U.S. roadways since 2007, despite fewer miles traveled.

While the number of crashes and traffic injuries declined overall, fatal crashes increased by 6.8%, with 38,824 fatalities nationwide. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled increased to 1.34, a 21% increase from 2019 and again the highest rate since 2007.

In some good news, the estimated number of police-reported crashes in 2020 decreased by 22% as compared to 2019, and the estimated number of people injured declined by 17%.

In 45% of fatal crashes, the drivers of passenger vehicles were engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors: speeding (up 17%), alcohol impairment (up 14%), or not wearing a seat belt (up 14%).

Fatalities amongst all vulnerable road users was up across the board; Motorcyclist fatalities up 11% (highest number since first data collection in 1975), Bicyclist fatalities up 9.2% (highest number since 1987), and Pedestrian fatalities up 3.9% (highest number since 1989).

Obviously 2020 was a uniquely anomalous year, with a global pandemic affecting every facet of everyday life, but it’s troubling to see such increased carnage even with less travel.

Total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) decreased by 11% in 2020, from 3,261,772 million to 2,903,622 million.

ARIZONA LEGISLATURE APPROVES LANE FILTERING
Lane Splitting and Lane Filtering bills are popping up more frequently, and if Senate Bill 1273 is signed into law by Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey (R), it would be a welcome relief for riders stuck in Phoenix traffic on a 110-degree day.

While “Lane Splitting” allows motorcyclists to ride between moving lanes of traffic, like California has allowed for many years, the term “Lane Filtering” allows riders to move between stopped traffic such as riding to the front of traffic at a stop light.

Arizona’s neighbor, Utah, made headlines in 2019 when it adopted lane filtering, and Montana legalized filtering in March of last year. Oregon came close to legalizing filtering last year, but the bill was stopped by the governor’s veto.

The allowed filtering described in Arizona SB 1273 is similar to Utah’s, with riders able to filter to the front on multi-lane roads, between two lanes going in the same direction, where the speed limit is 45 mph or less and surrounding traffic is stopped, and riding no faster than 15 mph.

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATOR CLAIMS BEING PROFILED FOR RIDING A MOTORCYCLE
While testifying in support of House Bill 1000, which would prohibit profiling of motorcycle riders by law enforcement, House Speaker Sherman Packard suggested he was profiled during a traffic stop several years ago in New Hampshire.

Packard (R-Londonderry), who is the highest-ranking member of the Republican majority, testified in the Public Hearing that he was stopped on Route 1A in Rye, N.H. about nine years ago. “I was in a pack of motorcycles and was the only one stopped by an officer,” he testified.

Packard said he was told by the officer he had passed a car on a double yellow line. He said he denied it, and the officer then told Packard he was riding on the double yellow line, which he again denied doing. He said he was detained for about 20 minutes, indicating he felt it was a case of profiling because he was a motorcycle rider. He also said he did not know why the other motorcycle riders he was with were not stopped.

Sherm Packard, a longtime motorcycle rider and champion of bikers’ rights, was a founding member of the NCOM Legislative Task Force and developed the National Coalition of Motorcyclists’ informational brochure “A Biker’s Guide to Getting Elected to Public Office”.

Packard is also a cosponsor of HB 1000, which was voted out of the House on March 11 with an “Ought to Pass” recommendation.

MOTORCYCLES ARE GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN AND BODY
A new study shows that motorcyclists are less stressed and more fulfilled than car drivers.

The scientific study originally set about trying to find out if bikers were constantly riding in fear of being involved in an accident, but inadvertently proved the opposite! The results center around a certain hormone called Cortisol that is released in the brain when we become anxious, finding that bikers produce 28% less Cortisol during testing than drivers on the same course.

The study was conducted by The Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behaviour (INHB) in a controlled manner, with 50 motorcyclists and 50 car drivers making their way around a closed course for 20-minutes. During this time, the team measured the user’s heart rate, Cortisol, and adrenaline levels, and monitored brain activity.

Results indicated that when riding, the subjects experienced increased sensory focus and resilience to distraction. Riding also produced an increase in adrenaline levels and heart rate, and a decrease in Cortisol levels — the kind of results you often get after a light exercise session, which also is a stress reducer.

 

SMART MOTORWAY FAILS
Within days after the Stopped Vehicle Detection system (SVD) failed to prevent a fatal crash on England’s M25 smart motorway, a series of internal emails from Highways England paint a horrifying picture, with sections of the road described as effectively blind to stopped vehicles.

The problem stems from the SVD system that should detect a stopped vehicle in a live lane, alerting the control room to close the lane with red ‘X’.

The Daily Mail reports that transportation staff are plagued with similar outages on the smart motorway network, with staff seeing errors and outages so much, they don’t actually have the time to report the error. Indeed, at the time of the M25 outage, a bug prevented an alert from being broadcast to the staff, meaning they had no warning of an incident they could react to.

As the catalogue of failings grows and the death toll mounts, the cry for smart motorways to be scrapped altogether grows louder and louder. And it isn’t just the public that is outraged, as politicians on all sides have called for the ‘fatal’ scheme to be axed, once and for all.

2022 NCOM CONVENTION – NEW DATES & LOCATION ANNOUNCED
Mark your Ride Calendar NOW for the upcoming 37th annual NCOM Convention to be held June 17-19, 2022 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, located at 10 Century Blvd.in Nashville, Tennessee (615/871-0033 for room reservations).

Concerned riders from across the nation will attend, to learn and share information and experiences regarding mutual topics of concern. All motorcyclists are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the many meetings, seminars and group discussions that focus on legislative efforts and litigation techniques to preserve Freedom of the Road.

Agenda items will cover legal and legislative issues, with Special Meetings for Veterans Affairs, Women in Motorcycling, Clean & Sober Roundtable and World of Sport Bikes, as well as the Christian Unity Conference and Confederation of Clubs Patch Holders Meeting.

 

H-DAY FOR EUROPEAN TRAFFIC PATTERNS
In a stunning joint international transportation announcement, all countries in Europe will begin switching over from left-sided driving to the right.

Per the cooperative trade agreement, effective midnight April 1st, on H-Day (for Högertrafikomläggningen, Swedish meaning “right-hand traffic”), all Cars and Trucks in every European foreign country will immediately pull to their right and henceforth drive on the right-hand side of the road like we do here in America.

If successful, in a carefully orchestrated 2-step governmental roll out period, the following April First all buses and motorcycles will switch sides too. =))

Hey, don’t get FOOLED by Fake News, on April Fool’s Day or anytime; enroll to receive timely and factual NCOM Biker Newsbytes monthly in your In Box for free by e-mailing “Subscribe” to the editor at NCOMBish@aol.com.

QUOTABLE QUOTE:

“Have an open mind, but don’t let your brain fall out.”
~ Bazooka Joe (1952-2012), Topps Candy Co.

 

ABOUT AIM / NCOM: The National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) is a nationwide motorcyclists rights organization serving over 2,000 NCOM Member Groups throughout the United States, with all services fully-funded through Aid to Injured Motorcyclist (AIM) Attorneys available in each state who donate a portion of their legal fees from motorcycle accidents back into the NCOM Network of Biker Services (www.ON-A-BIKE.com / 800-ON-A-BIKE).

THE AIM / NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.