Learning To Work On A Motorcycle By Christy

This journey started at Space Coast Harley-Davidson, March 2024, one sunny Saturday morning, where I test rode and bought my 2023 FXST Softail Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Years ago, I owned a Sportster and recently have been riding one, but I felt it was time to go to a Bigger bike, so I did. While I had been riding the Sportster with a windshield, I realized it was a definite must to have on my Softail and couldn’t ride without one. Riding on the east coast, there are times when it’s very windy and I feel the windshield protected me. So, with some research I decided on a detachable wind splitter windshield

Click here to read this Tech and Experience only on Bikernet.com

Book Reveiw of the Week By J.J. Solari

The book “I AM Delilah Jones aka Doris Gohlke: I Lived And Loved As I Pleased,” is, first of all, large. It’s the size of a sheet of normal bond paper, 337 numbered pages and full of photos. If you’re an edentulate reprobate like myself, you probably – and I hate to say this if she’s reading this– you probably took her into the bathroom with you when you were a strapping young lad because she was in damn near every “girlie mag” that was flooding the back racks of the newsstands, when they had newsstands, and she wasn’t bashful.

This wasn’t the Hustler age of girlie mags, they weren’t porn, but they WERE forbidden by moms, girlfriends, and – what are they called?…..oh yeah, wives.

Click here to read this thrilling review only on Bikernet.com

Editor’s Note: The Sturgis Museum and Hall of Fame curation committee recently received the opportunity to vote in and display this historic collection of bikes. They will be on exhibit in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum during the rally.

If you know of a bike or bikes that need to be considered for introduction into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Following is the Bonnie Truett story by Ken “Jackpot” Holloway.

—Fozz
Chairman
Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Curation Committee

Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee 2014, Bonnie Truett was born in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Before the perfect storm of life set him down the yellow brick road in Wichita, Kansas, Truett went to work on the grimy AT&SF railroad. He couldn’t have everything.

He soon bought his first motorcycle, a 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster. He immediately tore into the nimble platform to see what it was made of and how he could improve the power. His goal to make it faster than any Sportster in town. After modifications and working with some amazing area machinists, Bonnie, hell bent for leather, outran everyone.

Mr. Truett would prove his worth every weekend on drag strips all over the mid-west. He set himself apart from other racers in many ways, including being one of the earliest racers to blast nitro-methane into high-performance drag bike cylinders.

He built his first double-engine Sportster in 1968. Double Trouble, became one of the earliest Harley-Davidson double-engine drag bikes. The daunting engineering formula challenged builders. Dual Harley-Davidson motors fought each other and their drivelines tried to tear each other apart.

Bonnie learned that if you retard the timing just a little on one engine, you could have them skipping down the track together like two best friends. Truett campaigned this nitro-burning double around the United States racing and winning against some of the biggest names.

He traded the dual for a much lighter and faster single-engine drag bike. Others would go on to race Truett built double-engine monsters making a name for themselves. Through these years he learned a lot about nitro and drag bikes. He built several doubles, but someone would buy the newest version before he could test it on the track.

He soon started a side business, Truett Frame Works. This venture impowered him to build chromoly frames for major famous race industry names. Many commented, “Truett Frames helped make us successful.”

In 2000 Mr. Truett’s accomplishments were recognized by his friend Jim Wear when he was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado alongside his friend and business partner Paul Osborn.

Truett drew on scraps of paper and built with handmade tools and fixtures. He did all of this because he had endless dreams and the confidence to never give up.

SleevesUp: Ride On For Jesse Rooke #27

This is a VIRTUAL blood drive to honor Jesse Rooke; it is for out of state family & and friends, or anyone who can’t be at the June 1st blood drive.

https://sleevesup.redcrossblood.org/campaign/ride-on-for-jesse-rooke-27-3/

You can participate VIRTUALLY in the blood drive by clicking “PLEDGE TO GIVE BLOOD”, then donating at your local American Red Cross🩸

📆This Virtual blood drive is from: May 1, 2024 thru August 31, 2024.

“Ride On for Jesse Rooke #27”- will be linked with the IN PERSON drive on June 1, 2024, when we will be honoring Jesse’s life at an American Red Cross blood drive at The Martin Auto Museum in Glendale, AZ.

***The IN PERSON drive June 1st is by appointment only, limited to 30 people. Please consider donating via the Virtual drive, if the June 1st appointments are booked.****

This blood drive is intended to honor the life and passions of Jesse Rooke. Jesse was highly motivated and very entrepreneurial. Many know of his business building custom motorcycles – those who met him personally or knew him well also experienced his passion to inspire kids to pursue active lifestyles – especially athletics and motorsports. Every new business idea he had involved inspiring and motivating kids. He loved encouraging and talking about Scarlett, his nephews, niece, cousins, and friend’s kids active endeavors. He enjoyed RC cars, BMX, bicycle racing, auto racing, motorcycle racing – anything active.

For this blood drive, we’d like to think about the kids he cared so much about, especially those who might struggle to follow his inspiration due to health or other challenges. Our hope through this blood drive is to continue to help others. We aim to give life through these blood donations in Jesse’s name.💙💙💙

For more about Jesse, check out this YouTube clip from Sturgis:
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2006/09/01/jesse_rooke_darla_custom_bike_motorcycle/

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The 30th annual Platinum General Services event, proudly presented by the XDA, took on a bittersweet tone this past weekend at the Maryland International Raceway. As engines thundered against the backdrop of spring skies, the event unfolded with a poignant undercurrent, marking the first race since the passing of XDA co-owner Chris Miller.

Miller’s absence was deeply felt, his legacy casting a long shadow over the track he helped cultivate into a haven for speed enthusiasts. Despite this, racers and fans alike came together in a powerful display of solidarity and respect, celebrating his memory by ensuring the event he cherished ran with the precision and passion he was known for.

During three exhilarating days, competitors from far and wide converged, introducing fresh talent to the racing scene while seasoned veterans showcased their enduring skills.

However, Mother Nature had her own plans, as rain delays added a twist to the race schedule. These interruptions, although unwelcome, did little to dampen the spirits of the racers and fans alike. The track buzzed with activity between the showers, with pit crews working feverishly to make the most of the dry spells and prepare the bikes for the intense competition that awaited them.

Orient Express Racing Pro Street
Winner – Rodney Williford
Runner-up – Mark Rendeluk

The season opener for the Orient Express Pro Street class was nothing short of explosive. With a qualifying field boasting 23 bikes, the stage was set for high-speed competition. Reigning champion Rodney Williford wasted no time in asserting his dominance, leading the pack with a blistering 6.436-second pass at 232.39 mph. The crowd was on edge as Jason Dunigan notched the event’s top speed at 233.68 mph, and qualified second with a 6.482.

In eliminations, the air vibrated with intensity. Tony Ficher shattered his personal records, blazing through with a 6.473 at 229.74 MPH to triumph over Jamie Lopes. The action intensified as first-round victories went to heavy hitters including Williford, James Waugh, Justin Shakir, Greg Wallace, Dunigan, Darion Payne, and Mark Rendeluk.

The second round was full of nail-biting showdowns, with Rendeluk and Payne delivering an impressive side-by-side duel in the forties. Rendeluk edged out Payne with a 6.457 against his 6.477 effort. Williford, Shakir, and Dunigan also advanced, setting the stage for a dramatic semi-final.

Anticipation was high as Rendeluk faced off against his DME Racing teammate Dunigan. Both riders, having posted stellar 640s in the preceding round, promised an electrifying clash. Yet, fate had other plans; Dunigan encountered starting line woes, leaving Rendeluk to seize the win light and secure a spot in his second consecutive final.

Williford continued his relentless charge, securing a win with a 6.44-second run against Shakir’s 9.316. The final round was a spectacle of speed and skill, as Rendeluk’s sharp .010 reaction time clashed with Williford’s .059. Despite Rendeluk’s advantage off the line, Williford’s unyielding momentum carried him through to victory with a 6.431 to Rendeluk’s 6.555. As the smoke cleared and cheers filled the air, Rodney Williford stood once again as the season opener victor.

DME Racing Real Street
Winner – David Fondon
Runner-up – Jason Iannotti

The DME Racing Real Street class carved out its own chapter of milestones, birthing a saga of new talent and dramatic upsets.

Qualifying sessions unfurled with the reigning champion, Rickey Gadson, taking the number-one spot with a 7.440. Naturally, the crowd was whipped into a frenzy as Gadson not only lived up to the expectations but exceeded them by clicking off a monumental 200+ MPH run, the first in Real Street history, with a 201.79 MPH. The feat remains unofficial, though, as his subsequent passes didn’t back up the record.

Jason Iannotti, having qualified at the lower echelon of the ladder with a 10.720, demonstrated the power of perseverance. He ousted the defending champion Gadson in round one, overpowered Caleb Holt, and cruised past a semi-final bye, catapulting himself into the final round.

Parallel to this narrative, David Fondon, the number two qualifier with a commanding 7.519 aboard his HTP Performance Suzuki, made his presence felt. Dispatching Ty Isaac, Drae Taylor, and former class champion David Stewart, Fondon was resolute on his path to the finals.

Anticipation reached its peak as Iannotti and Fondon stood on the brink of potentially securing their first DME Racing Real Street victory. As they rolled up to the water box, spectators braced themselves for an electrifying showdown.

The air was thick with anticipation as this match alone would guarantee we would have a new crowned winner at the end. When the lights dropped, Fondon leapt off the line and grabbed the advantage with a razor-sharp .022 reaction time to Iannotti’s .150. It was a head-to-head sprint, with Iannotti giving chase, thundering down the strip in a valiant bid to overturn the lead. In the end, Fondon’s early advantage held firm, and he stormed across the finish line with a victorious 7.469 over Iannotti’s hard-fought 7.535. The drama is bound to follow at the MTC Summer Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, May 17-19.

MaxxECU Pro Xtreme
Winner – Dale Leeks
Runner-up – Rob Garcia

The MaxxECU Pro Xtreme 1/8 mile heads-up class is experiencing an international invasion with attendance from two riders from Canada, Jean Gosselin and Gerry Hunt, along with Dale Leeks from the United Kingdom.

The battle for supremacy was intense from the get-go, with George Whitaker clinching the number one qualifying spot with a 4.072, narrowly shadowed by Gosselin’s 4.079. Despite earning a bye in the first round due to his top qualifying position, Whitaker didn’t hold back, setting the stage ablaze with a staggering 4.042.

Joining Whitaker as first-round victors were reigning champion Chris Cutsinger, the UK’s Dale Leeks, Rob Garcia, and John Collins, each demonstrating their prowess and staking their claim for the title.

However, the second round was met with a mix of anticipation and disappointment. The withdrawal of both Collins and Whitaker due to mechanical woes, along with Cutsinger’s earned bye, resulted in an unusual quiet before the storm of the semi-finals.

In the third round UK’s Leeks smoothly sailed into the finals with an earned bye, setting his sights on the ultimate prize. The other spot was fiercely contested by Rob Garcia and Chris Cutsinger, in a clash that had the spectators on the edge of their seats. Garcia, quick off the line with a .049 reaction time, went side-by-side with Cutsinger down the strip. In a display of raw speed and steely nerves, Garcia edged out with a 4.17 victory, a mere whisker ahead of Cutsinger’s 4.195, securing his place in the finals and capping off an electrifying round of eliminations.

Leeks and Garcia were evenly matched in power and precision, making predictions all but impossible. As the lights flashed, Garcia snatched the starting line advantage with a .028 reaction time. Despite Garcia’s aggressive launch, his bike faltered in power output and Leeks tore down the strip, executing a near-perfect straight pass and stopping the clocks at 4.013 to Garcia’s trailing 4.441, claiming victory in a decisive, adrenaline-fueled finale.

MaxxECU Pro Xtreme is presented by Billy Vose Racing, Fast by Gast, Dunigan Racing, DME Racing, Grothus Dragbikes, Harley Haul, Rob Bush Motorsports, Robinson Industries, Schnitz Racing, Timblin Chassis, and Worldwide Bearings.

HTP Performance Super Stock
Winner – Jeremy Teasley
Runner-up – Caleb Holt

The HTP Performance Super Stock class was a battleground of precision riding skills. Darion Payne secured the number one qualifying spot with an 8.769 and a first-round bye. Yet, the tides of racing can turn quickly, and Payne was outpaced in the second round by Jamie Lopes.

Since the class’s birth in 2020, the Kawasaki ZX-14 has risen as the steed of choice, its presence on the track growing ever more dominant. This year, however, witnessed a spirited resurgence of Suzuki models making their mark early on. However all the Suzuki riders were out before the third round, setting the stage for a ZX-14 showdown once again.

Jeremy Teasley etched a path of consistent victories, besting competitors Dennis Iannnotti, Tim Cottrell, and Jimmy Leach to stake his claim in the finals. Meanwhile, Caleb Holt carved his own route to the decisive round, claiming wins against Mike Geer, Chris Moore, Jamie Lopes, and Mike Davis, proving himself a formidable force.

The final round was a showcase of skill, particularly off the line, in this hand-clutch class. Holt, with a swift .078, and Teasley, close behind with a .095, showcased their quick-draw capabilities. Despite Holt’s lead at the start, his performance deviated from the norm, clocking an ET of 10.235. This deviation left an opening that Teasley exploited, powering through to take the win with an 8.919 pass.

HTP Performance Grudge

Saturday night’s Running of the Bulls was sizzling, with fifty-one Grade A premium Bulls on the property to show out. XDA’s #KillerMiller track prep showed us in the shakedown runs that we had the quickest and fastest motorcycles grudge racing has to offer.

Booted Bulls
Winner – Frankie Stotz / Reddi-Wip
Runner-up – Derek Sobiech / Night Stalker

The Boosted Bulls class brought the heat with nine bikes ready for serious action. During the Shakedown rounds, these racers didn’t just set the bar—they launched it into orbit with their heart-pounding performances.

George Stanley, riding ‘On Time,’ snagged a bye to round two thanks to a lucky pull in the chip draw. Meanwhile, Frankie Stotz on ‘Reddi-Wip,’ Derek Sobiech on ‘Night Stalker,’ and Alex Moore on ‘Big Kountry’ tore through their competition, leaving no doubt about their speed and skill as they charged into round two.

Round two was all about Stotz and Sobiech laying down the law on the track, dominating like unstoppable freight trains. Their wins set the stage for a showdown so hyped, fans were pulling out their dollars.

Come the final throwdown, Stotz and Sobiech hit the strip, gunning it all the way to the wire in a head-to-head that was straight fire. Stotz clinched it, blasting past the finish line first to cap off a killer night with style. His win didn’t just showcase his chops; it threw down a gauntlet for the next big meet.

Nitrous Bulls
Winner – Antonia Patton / Big Dirty
Runner-up – Gaige Herrera / Big Bumpy

In the Nitrous Bulls class, it’s all about proving who’s got the fastest nitrous grudge bikes in the game. The vibe was intense out the gate, with riders throwing down some seriously blazing laps. Early rounds were all about tight races and high vibes, but as the night wore on, that cold air brought out the unpredictable side of nitrous oxide, messing with more than a few riders’ plans.

Antonio Patton rolling on ‘Big Dirty’ and Gaige Herrera on ‘Big Bumpy’ dominated the scene, blasting past their competition with sheer muscle and slick moves. These two were lined up for what everyone thought would be an epic clash in the final. But you know how it goes, fate had some twists. Herrera hit some snags after the semi-final and couldn’t roll up to battle it out in the final.

So, instead of a head-to-head battle, the event ended with Patton breaking the beams under power solo, taking the win without breaking a sweat. Even though the final lap lacked the usual drama, Patton’s performance all night long proved that ‘Big Dirty’ ain’t to be messed with when it comes to mastering the nitrous game.

3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls
Winner – Brandon Tyree / Made Man
Runner-up – Ken Alston / Leather Face

The 3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls brought in ten contenders, and man, these racers weren’t holding back—they were hitting that track like it owed them something. The side-by-side action was non-stop, giving the crowd plenty to holler about. But when it came down to it, the final felt like déjà vu from last year’s season opener, with the same old story playing out.

After three rounds of straight-up competition, Brandon Tyree on ‘Made Man,’ and Ken Alston on ‘Leather Face,’ proved once again they were the ones to beat. So, it was no surprise when they lined up against each other for the final showdown.

And guess what? Like last year, Tyree did it again, blasting across that finish line first and snagging another win for his crew. It seems like the winner’s circle is starting to feel like home to him.

Tommie’s Motorsports DMV Bulls
Winner – Desmond Spaulding / NWA
Runner-up – Cody Lowe / The Kracken

The Tommie’s Motorsports DMV Bulls class was another sold-out affair with 16 entries. Cody Lowe on ‘The Kracken’ made his mark at the Platinum General Services season opener by taking out ‘Moon Knight’ , ‘Josey Wales’ and ‘Grey Matter’ to earn a spot in Saturday night’s final.

Desmond Spaulding on ‘NWA’ was a dominant force with wins over ‘Monkey Business’ , ‘Tip-Toe’, and ‘Misbehavin’.

Spaulding won last year’s season-opener on ‘Mob Ties’ but this year he took that bike over to the Nitrous Bulls class. As he met Lowe in the final, he was laser-focused on the prize, and it paid off as he took the win and kept his winner’s circle domination in check.

All Motor Bulls
Winner – David Fondon / Bad B*tch
Runner-up – Curtis McDougald / Carbonator

David Fondon, rolling deep on ‘Bad Bitch,’ is the reigning king of the XDA All Motor Bulls, and he’s the main target everyone’s gunning for in this class. Curtis McDougald, steering the ‘Carbonator,’ stepped up to throw down, powering through three intense rounds to go head-to-head with Fondon in the final round.

When the lights went live, Fondon blasted off the line like a beast unleashed, leaving McDougald hustling hard to catch up. But Fondon was all gas, no brakes, hitting the eighth-mile marker in a flash and clinching another win. That’s how the boss does it—running the game and schooling the competition on how a bad bitch gets it done.

Vance & Hines 4.60
Winner – Mac McAdams
Runner-up – Ronald Procopio

In the world of 1/8th-mile index racing, the Vance & Hines 4.60 class is a crowd-puller, boasting forty riders vying for the top position. Precision was the name of the game, with three riders nailing a perfect 4.60 in qualifying. It was Brad Gleason, however, who outpaced his rivals with superior MPH, snatching the coveted number one spot from Lowry Callahan and Joe Procopio Jr.

Reigning champion Ronald Procopio exhibited his usual finesse, skillfully navigating the field and earning his spot in the final showdown. His semi-final conquest over Gleason was a pivotal moment, marking his resolve to retain his championship mantle.

Mac McAdams, longing for the taste of victory since his last XDA 4.60 win at the 2022 MTC Summer Nationals, embarked on a relentless pursuit of glory. His reaction times were a beacon of consistency, dismantling his opponents round after round.

As the Sunday night sky enveloped Maryland International Raceway, the tension was palpable as these two competitors crept into the starting line beams. The launch was near-simultaneous, with McAdams’s .027 reaction time narrowly outpaced by Procopio’s .026. They thundered down the eighth mile in tandem, engines screaming and the crowd erupting in cheers. In a breathtakingly close finish, McAdams broke through the drought, igniting the win light with a 4.606, edging out Procopio’s 4.614, and reclaiming his spot in the winner’s circle.

1 Stop Speed 5.60
Winner – Rico Brown
Runner-up – Brice Cornish Jr.

Jim Mauro and Harvey Hubbard both ran dead on 5.60 in 1 Stop Speed 5.60 qualifying. Mauro received the top spot due to a faster MPH.
On race day two contenders emerged to meet in the final. Brice Cornish Jr. has only entered 1 Stop Speed 5.60 a handful of times over the last few years, but he managed to win five tough rounds of eight-mile competition to see his first final in the class.

Rico Brown is a class staple, but he hasn’t won since the FuelTech Superbike Showdown in 2022. Both Cornish and Brown showed incredible reaction times in their five rounds, slaughtering the competition before meeting in the final.

And while both competitors were hungry for battle, there would be no exciting racing action as Cornish turned on the dreaded red light to hand the win to Brown before the race even started.

Mickey Thompson Tires Top Sportsman
Winner – Jeffery Santin
Runner-up – Dustin Lee

The Mickey Thompson Tires Top Sportsman class is renowned for showcasing some of the quickest elapsed times on the racing circuit. Jordan Haase, a formidable Pro Street racer, made a strong impression by clinching the top qualifying position with a 7.267 on his GSX-R1000, signaling his intent to dominate.

However, the journey through the brackets is fraught with pressure, and even the slightest error can have monumental consequences. Haase faced Jeffrey Santin in a second-round matchup but turned on the red light, a costly mistake that ended his run prematurely and paved Santin’s way to the finals. Santin capitalized on this opportunity, defeating seasoned competitors Jimmie Miller and Gary Clontz to secure his place in the final.

Meanwhile, reigning class champion Dustin Lee displayed relentless ambition, eliminating every challenger en route to the final. The stage was set Sunday night for a high-stakes duel between Santin and Lee aboard their Hayabusa’s. With Santin dialed in at 8.20 and Lee at 7.85, the final was going to require skill and precision.

As the lights went down, both racers launched with identical reaction times, ensuring the battle would be decided at the finish line. They executed strong, clean passes, each determined to clinch victory. In a dramatic twist, both riders broke out, pushing their machines beyond the brink. Lee, however, exceeded his dial-in more significantly, recording a 7.808 against Santin’s 8.163, handing Santin a thrilling and narrow victory.

MPS Racing Pro ET
Winner – Jeffery Santin
Runner-up – Wesley Jones

The Top Sportsman winner always earns a spot back into the fifth round of MPS Racing Pro ET competition for another shot at double-dipping their win and increasing their payday.

Santin took his win momentum and defeated Austin Bridge and Montrell Johnson to put himself in another final round. This time, he would be facing Wesley Jones, who won five rounds of tough bracket racing with incredible reaction times. In the final, Santin dialed 8.17, and Jones dialed 9.61. Jones cut his worst light of the weekend with a .099 to Santin’s better .022. Jones left the starting line first, but Santin caught up to him in a flash and was gaining on him as he crossed the finish line first by six feet to take the win with a 8.272 over Jones’s 9.666 run. Santin now leads points in two classes to start off the 2024 drag racing season.

Brock’s Performance Street ET
Winner – Russell Dennison Jr
Runner-up – Maurice Michie

The Brock’s Performance Street ET class kicked off the season with a formidable field of seventy-eight racers, all vying for an early advantage in the championship race. Among them, Russell Dennison Jr. and Maurice Michie showcased exceptional skill, unwavering consistency, and nerves of steel as they navigated through five intense rounds, setting the stage for a thrilling final showdown on Sunday night.

Heading into the final, Dennison dialed in at 8.70, while Michie targeted a 9.25. With Michie launching first with an impressive .088 reaction time, Dennison responded swiftly with a razor-sharp .067 reaction. As Dennison pursued Michie down the track, he steadily closed the distance, ultimately surging past Michie and crossing the finish line with a fourteen-foot lead. Dennison’s victorious run was clocked at 8.718, outpacing Michie’s 9.319.

Dennison, who secured a fourth-place finish last season, now establishes an early triumph that places him in a favorable position for this season’s points chase.

Voodoo Bracket Bash
Winner – Nick Noble
Runner-up – Barry Purnell

The Voodoo Bracket Bash brought an electrifying atmosphere to Saturday’s race. There were 126 entrants, all competing for not only the thrill of victory but also a substantial $3,000 purse. The competition was as fierce as the stakes were high, with each racer eyeing the coveted title.

As the field narrowed through rounds of relentless competition, Nick Noble and Barry Purnell distinguished themselves, expertly navigating through the bracket to meet in the much-anticipated final round. Noble set his dial at 9.32, while Purnell set his to 9.21, promising a close match right from the launch.

The tension built as both riders staged, ready to unleash their machines down the quarter-mile. Noble seized the initial advantage with an .027 reaction time, slightly quicker than Purnell’s still impressive .051. This early lead set the tone for the race, as they blasted side-by-side in the first sixty feet, maintaining their neck-and-neck pace throughout. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as the pair thundered down the track, their bikes mere inches apart.

At the stripe, Nick Noble edged out Barry Purnell by a mere three feet, claiming the win in a breakout finish. Noble’s final time of 9.312 narrowly outperformed Purnell’s 9.162, marking a thrilling conclusion to one of the day’s most hotly contested races.

Hard Times Parts & Service Gambler’s Race
Winner – Robin Procopio
Runner-up – Jimmie Miller

A fixture in final rounds, Jimmie Miller found himself once again in a season opener final, this time against Robin Procopio, a seasoned competitor renowned for her consistent performances.

Procopio, aboard her bar bike, dialed in a tight 8.00, while Miller set his Hayabusa to an 8.83. The race was effectively set from the start when Procopio unleashed a near-perfect .008 reaction time, immediately placing Miller at a significant disadvantage with his .081, his slowest start of the night.

As they hurtled towards the finish line, the tension was high. It was an intensely close race, but Procopio clinched the victory by a razor-thin margin of .016 seconds, approximately three and a half feet. She crossed the line with an 8.049 against Miller’s 8.822, demonstrating not just superior reaction at the start but precision in execution throughout the race.

The XDA will return to Virginia Motorsports Park for the 38th annual MTC Engineering Summer Nationals on May 17-19, 2024. There will be over 700 Professional, Sportsman, and Grudge motorcycle racers in competition, battling it out for over $90,000 in cash purses at this event.

Visit xdaracing.com for event information, class rules, schedule, and more.

About XDA Racing
The Xtreme Dragbike Association (XDA) is an east coast motorcycle drag racing series with 700+ motorcycle racers competing at each event. Every XDA event hosts professional classes, sportsman classes, grudge racing, and a vendor midway. Lifestyle activities such as bike shows, bikini contests, DJs, and live bands are also held at select events. For more information on the XDA, please visit www.xdaracing.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube @xdaracing

The book “I AM Delilah Jones aka Doris Gohlke: I Lived And Loved As I Pleased,” is, first of all, large. It’s the size of a sheet of normal bond paper, 337 numbered pages and full of photos. If you’re an edentulate reprobate like myself, you probably – and I hate to say this if she’s reading this– you probably took her into the bathroom with you when you were a strapping young lad because she was in damn near every “girlie mag” that was flooding the back racks of the newsstands, when they had newsstands, and she wasn’t bashful. This wasn’t the Hustler age of girlie mags, they weren’t porn, but they WERE forbidden by moms, girlfriends, and – what are they called?…..oh yeah, wives.

I know what you’re saying: “Is there any tang-of-the-poonage in it?” No. “Is there any cock?” No. It’s not a porn book. She isn’t a porn star. “Well what the fuck is she?” Ok, well, now we’re getting somewhere. And there’s no reason for vulgarity with all the fucks. I’d like to establish an atmosphere of decorum if that’s ok. There’s a lady present. I know what you’re saying; “Yeah! You!” Like as though I didn’t see that coming.

Delilah Jones, escapee with her family from Berlin during the Hitler days, is today, right now, still going strong; I suspect is keeping her clothes on at this point, and spent her whole life, prior to lately, enthusiastically taking her clothes off in front of an audience. I guess it was like being paid for what as a child she assumed was just normal life: being undressed. Her parents were nudists. She might not have even known clothes existed as a youngster.

This book is basically a scrap book, very likely the only one ever produced by a “girlie mag” superstar. She’s not a superstar pro’bly to the public but the professional girlie-mag photographers of the day, all of them well-known to historians of girlie-mags, sought her out PROBABLY because of her attitude. Which was, I am guessing: not being a pain in the ass.

Magazines are a business and the heyday of girlie mags was a business regarded by “proper society” as degrading sinful filth. They were regarded by wives and girlfriends the way Trump is regarded now by, say, Pelosi. But taking photos for magazines is a job. The best photographers, meaning, if nothing else, the ones the women could stand being around because the photographers wanted photos and not dates….the top “glamour” photographers wanted Delilah in front of their lenses. But she also performed for, well, just strangers.

I am a huge fan of the Mafia Business Model. That doesn’t mean I am a huge fan of the Mafia personnel. But they’re not fucking with ME. So I gut no complaint. My attitude regarding the Operating System of the Mafia however? Huge fan. The Mafia is an organization that is basically the free market. It’s basically in competition with the organization created by the Constitution, which is an organization basically devoted to market-disappearance.

The race is, apparently, to see who will stay in existence longer, the Mafia or the Feds. The Mafia tries to provide, for a price, things people actually want. The Feds just fuck with people for no reason and then charge them for absolutely no services rendered. It’s crazy. People call it freedom. If the Mafia had written the Constitution and not bureaucrats things woulda been a lot different and a huge lot better. We’da had a better highway system for sure: contraband needs routes!!

So where is this going. Oh, yeah: all strip joints in the heyday after WW2 were Mob controlled. So this book could PROBABLY be a whale of a lot more informative than it is. However, Delilah is focused here on the stripper life, or at least her involvement with it, which was, and is, enthusiastic involvement.

This is a happy book. She’s a happy woman. She loves, or loved – I THINK she’s retired – she loved performing without clothes for what APPARENTLY were “upscale” nude reviews. This is a book of her history with a ton of black and white photos and personal remarks regarding her career. And it was actually a career.

Escaping from Hitler I guess you learn survival skills: her SISTER, one of them, was married to Sterling Silliphant, who at the time was the most successful creator of tv series pro’bly in TV history. So she was hobnobbing, probably not the right word, I dunno, with the elites of Hollywood and I am guessing the West Coast, if not National, Mob. But this isn’t a Mob book.

This is a photo-history of her professional and recreational life. It PROBABLY would be of more interest to women than to men as far as readability is concerned because – unlike with her stripping – I THINK the target audience for this book is women. She talks about travel, she talks about costumes, – which she routinely designed and made for her co-workers – schedules, workmates, incidents that are likely far more gossipy than she has presented because this is not that kind of a book, but you can surmise scenarios.

Everything she talks about would ignite a long list of interview questions from any reporter. But this is about her experience as a stripper. Not as a gossip. All of it in the golden age of things “nice” girls didn’t do in public.

Now, in all of this I have avoided the elephant in the room, since this is likely being read only by men, and that elephant in the room is the inquiry or observation or suggestion or intimation, though unspoken so far, and that query is, if I can articulate it politely in case there are children present…”Well…isn’t the only REAL reason for strippers to even exist is to create down the road, maybe later that night when the strip show customer has returned home, to create human ejaculant into a pile of tissues or a stack of laundry?”

Frankly, I don’t see that as a demeaning end-result. In as much as ejaculant transferred from inside a ballsack to a new location inside someone else’s groinage is why we’re all here in the first place. Think twice before fulminating against ejaculant, is my advice to you. You are after all 50% ejaculant and 50% egg yoke. The fact that the ejaculant may or may not end up in a Kleenex or a towel or a t-shirt or on a tree trunk or on your mom rather than sent specifically into a vagina NOT a sheep’s is something I think only Catholics should worry about.

Since to Catholics, ejaculant intentionally sent on a journey to nowhere – rather than specifically sent on a journey into a human egg – sends the donor to Hell. Or at least gets him into the line for instant ELEGIBILITY to Hell unless said ejaculator tells another man inside a confessional booth, in other words a very, very, small enclosed cabinet, just the two of you talking calmly back and forth with each other about your cum shots….unless that man tells the other man about it….he will go to Hell. If he dies before talking to the man in the little room. These admissions regarding emissions between these two men go something like this:

”So did you masturbate more than once?”

“You mean since our last session together in this closet?”

“I mean, no, just during this self-abuse session that has driven you in here to avoid eternal damnation.”

“Well I’ve been masturbating a blue streak actually since our last Forgiveness Go-Around, actually.”

“Have you confessed to all of them? Or are you starting fresh with just the one you talked about at the start just now.”

“To save some time?….can I have a complete past-and-present whitewash? A kind of bucket-load over the head of forgiveness? Is that available?”

“No, I need to know the exact number of times you masturbated.”

“What about just masochistic arousal-and-deprivation, what about that, is that masturbation?”

“The Pope hasn’t actually itemized that.”

“Seems uncaring. What about the degree of hardness.”

“When was the last time you masturbated.”

“Last night. After the girlie thing at the burlle-q emporium. She did the shimmy-shimmy-shake topless in a micro bikini on the stage and I did the pumpy-pumpy-squirt when I got home.”

“I forgive you.”

“Thanks your worship. Say…..why do I see jizz draining over to my side down there on the floor?”

All of which brings me to what you might be asking but probly aren’t: “So isn’t stripping all about getting men hot?”

That’s a good question. Reading this book stripping seems to be instead – at least from the stripper side of things – more about pride in the workplace. I know good employees. I should be doing all the hiring everywhere. And this broad’s work ethic is phenomenal. I mean let’s face it, it’s all about generating paid admissions. It’s a job.

This book is basically an itinerary of The Stripper Life from a stripper who took the job very seriously enough to where, as they say in the Mob, she was an earner. The Mob respects and caters to earners. I don’t think Mob homage was her motivator. I think job performance was her motivator.

She made costumes for herself and the other strippers. She was the go-to model for the major girlie photographers for the rags and mags that spent their lives under the bed or under the porch wrapped in a tarp. She made bosses and customers happy and got along with her co-workers and they apparently got along with her. It’s like inside her head she was always thinking “Why would anyone think there was anything WRONG with this life??”

From reading this, my first stripper-history book, maybe the only one in existence, I get the real strong feeling that stripper life is a lot like outlaw biker life: a self-enclosed support system, trying to do your thing, not fucking with people, and having as much fun in the process as possible.

This book is a history, not a tell-all. She’s no snitch. But if she ever becomes one in another book, she won’t need it packed with photos to keep the interest alive is my guess, not that photos are a problem!!!

She’s basically a totally selfless saver of lives: the strippers of her day were often the only thing that kept the men of my day deciding, over and over, “Yeah, I guess there really IS a reason to live after all: showgirls and strippers.”

endo

Hot Day, Sweet Beer by Rhys
with illustration by Wayfarer

Pulled out of my garage and took off down the street. No particular destination just needed the wind in my face.

After an hour or so came across a little joint on a country road with outside seating at picnic tables. I dismounted my steel steed and sat down . A cute little thing came out and I asked for an ice cold draft.

Sipping the brew and listening to the exhaust tick I thought it was a good day to be alive.

(publication dated 28-Apr-2024)

* * *

Click to read all the entries from this year and then visit the previous year’s entries and winners.

The Tavern Stop
by Gearhead

I walked into the dark tavern after midnight. The last call was in a couple of hours. There she sat waiting for her biker knight in the corner. I sauntered over and sat down next to her. “What is your name Doll.”

“My name is Mariah,” she muttered, her red lips glistened. “What is yours big man?”

“They call me Texas Red.”

“Your mother not like you or something?” She asked.

“I was named after a famous outlaw by my Dad.” I then bought us both whiskeys. We toasted to our friendship. I put my hand on her thigh and the rest is history.

(publication dated 26-Apr-2024)

* * *
If you are wondering why this story is so short–well we are running a contest since last year– a fiction contest with 100 word limit. Have a look at https://www.bikernet.com/pages/Bikernet_100_Word_Fiction_Contest_2024.aspx

Today the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced updated ratings for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tests to address crashes that occur at higher speeds and those in which the struck vehicle is a motorcycle or large truck. This is the first time the IIHS has done this type of test involving motorcycles. The IIHS is an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, and property damage from motor vehicle crashes through research and evaluation and by educating consumers, policymakers, and safety professionals.

The trials involving motorcycles positioned the bike in the center of the lane and offset to the left and the right. Tested vehicles were evaluated on forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems. In each test run, an engineer drives the test vehicle toward the target at the selected speed and records when the forward collision warning occurs and how much the AEB system slows the vehicle to prevent or mitigate the impending impact. Tests are conducted at three different speeds, 31mph, 37mph and 43mph.

Of the ten (10) vehicles tested in the “Small SUV” category just one, the Subaru Forester, received a “good rating.” It achieved this rating by avoiding a crash with the motorcycle at the two lower speeds and slowing from 43 mph to 13 mph before making contact with the bike.

Unfortunately, four of the vehicles tested into the bottom “poor rating.” The Chevy Equinox for example, which was rated poor, “Failed to give a warning, or gave it too late in most tests with the motorcycle target.” To make matters worse its AEB was ineffective, causing the IIHS to state “With the motorcycle target it barely reduced speed at all.”

IIHS Senior Research Scientist David Kidd, who led the development of the new evaluation, pointed out why these new tests are so important, “Motorcyclists are frequently killed when they’re rear-ended by a passenger car since their bike offers no protection from the impact.”

Last December, the IIHS estimated that if the front crash prevention technology worked as well detecting motorcycles as it does for cars and light-duty trucks, 500 fewer rear-end crashes involving motorcyclists would occur annually.

However, challenges remain, as Dr. Kidd stated, “Motorcycles are smaller and narrower than cars, making them more difficult for camera and radar-based systems to identify, especially at higher speeds.” The Motorcycle Riders Foundation thanks the IIHS for beginning to include motorcycles in this testing regimen. We hope these ratings and further tests help educate consumers about what their vehicles can and cannot do, as well as motivate manufacturers to build technology that protects everyone on the road equally.

To see the IIHS Report, click the button below.

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. Join the MRF at http://mrf.org/

Hey,

We are living in strange times. I got into the middle of a conversation the other day. Someone complained that motorcycle rights can’t be partisanship or political. How is that possible?

If you are involved in legislative matters, you are involved in the political community whether you like it or not. As soon as I found myself involved in Helmet Laws it became apparent. One side wanted control and way less freedom. The other wanted Freedom or personal choice.

I try to apply Truth and Integrity to everything we do at Bikernet.

–Bandit

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