You can imagine how jazzed I was to receive the 120-inch Accurate Engineering Panhead engine from Yellow Freight. I’m a major fan of Panheads. Hell, I was born in ’48, but don’t tell anyone.

Shortly thereafter the Baker Transmission, 6-speed, touring unit with the oil bag under it, arrived. I also discovered that all my grandiose notions for moving the controls forward might fail. I needed the driveline in place to study the space available.

At first we were going to follow John Reed’s DVD instruction on installing the driveline in his frame, by lowering the frame over the driveline, with both on their sides. We discovered that his notion is killer if the frame is bare, no front end or swingarm.

After removing the bars, dash, fairing, tank and seat, we though we were ready for the Reed installation system. We bolted the system together, tried laying it over and dropping the frame on top, then gave up. We pulled the engine and tranny apart and headed in another direction.

I pulled and began to install the driveline mounting gear including the front mount isolator and the top motormount.

All the fasteners are labeled in bags, although we hope to use stainless Allens or even safety wired stainless in the future.

I also pulled the heim joints needed to align the engine and trans. Then I loosened the rear motormounts and tapped the swingarm axle out.

Next I blocked up and padded the transmission, dropping it into the swingarm which by the grace of the Chrome God remained in place.

With all the swingarm axle seals, washers and parts in place we returned the axle, except this time it slipped through the transmission.

It was time for the engine and I was concerned that I would be forced to remove the carb to clear the top motormount, but that wasn’t the case. The engine slipped right in.

With a jack and wood block under the engine, I aligned it with the tranny, dropped in the bolts and went to work. I always watch out for cross threading into aluminum. If it feels strange, I back ‘em out and shoot for better alignment.

Next, I installed the top motormount and heim joint. Before I messed with the controls, I wanted to make sure the chain and driveline was in perfect alignment.

Here’s an example regarding alignment. I bolted in the engine and tranny. Everything looked cool except the rear sprockets.

I looked down over the rear sprocket and couldn’t see the tranny sprocket. That made me nervous.

Then I remembered an odd sized aluminum spacer and John Reed’s mechanical drawing. It replaced one of the rear wheel spacers and moved the wheel about 1/8 of an inch to the right. That helped.

I installed the top heim joint, made sure the frame was level and the engine perpendicular to the lift.

I had to find a bigger bolt for the front motormount plate. I made sure the rear wheel was aligned, then the engine and tranny aligned.

The first time I slipped a Custom Chrome O-ring chain over the sprockets I wasn’t happy. It hit the tire and wasn’t even close to being aligned.

After carefully aligning all the elements the chain jumped into a straight groove from sprocket to sprocket. Next we’ll move onto the foot controls and the rear brake lever. Hang on.

This continued segment will take us through my vague thinking regarding the controls. We initially thought I could move the controls forward and still use the stock aluminum brake lever arm. I even took it apart and modified it to accept the Heim joint on the end of the linkage rod.

We modified it by removing one of the tangs, but discovered that this pedal assembly wouldn’t work at all. Time for plan B, which always works out better.

Here’s the heim joint connected to the modified pedal just before we shit-canned the notion.

We cut apart the foot peg bracket to lower the peg position. In Part 7 I ran this John Reed quote, but I was premature. It applies here, since this is where we cut the massive cast peg mounts.

“The primaries are fxr/dresser system,” John Reed said. “You can weld the steel footpeg brackets, I am pretty sure they aredrop forgings. I put mine in a mill and machined the shit out of them to make themlighter. But if you are using the bike on the salt,you want to keep as much weight as the motor can pull.”

So I did. I cut the forging in two, made a mark on the frame where the bracket could go, checked the spacing and went to work.

Damn, that’s a sweet looking engine from Accurate Engineering. Mistress Marylin is working for Berry Wardlaw, the prez of Accurate. She’s promised a tech story on all of Berry’s engine secrets. I’m waiting.

Okay, we needed to finish up the controls and the exhaust system before the bike could be torn apart and sent to paint.

I try to point out my mistakes to prevent you from making the same bullshit errors. See the heim joint on the rod and where it’s positioned. I used it as a guide to confirm where the foot control could go, but I should have set the heim joint in the center of the adjustment for flexibility.

Here’s the chunk with the peg mount. I made sure the peg was positioned, at the angle it was intended, before I tacked it into place. I ground the chrome away from the weld area and fired up the MIG.

With the peg in place I went to work on the control arm. I pressed the tephlon bushings out of the stock aluminum brake arm and went digging around the shop for the exact ID tubing for the lever axle.

Here’s what I found and chucked it into the Bikernet lathe for some fine tuning. I welded an arm to it out of hot rolled ½-inch round stock, then a spacer on the end and machined a brass treasure.

Just down the street is a nautical junk yard. Some guy who works on the docks has salvaged junk boat stuff for decades and he hordes the stuff. Once in a while, reluctantly, he sends a load to an antique swapmeet. I noticed old George loading the truck and bought a couple of porcelain street signs from Beverly Hills. What could be better for our Wilmington Ghetto back yard. George offered me a bonus of brass mementos. I didn’t see much I liked except this brass handle thing, which ultimately made my brake and shift levers. I cut it in half, drilled and tapped 3/8 threads.

Here’s the brake lever in place with the linkage attached. I won’t press in the Tephlon bushings until all the parts are powder coated and ready for final assembly.

With the handy Plasma Cutter I cut two side panels to afford me number plate space and take up that gap in the frame

I used the 1/16-inch stainless sheet for this, since it was handy. I could have gone lighter, but at Bonneville, it’s not a factor. This shot gives you a notion of the accuracy of the cut. Lot’s of grinding, sanding and filing brought the cuts in line. We started with a paper pattern as we did for the dash.

I’m sure as I use the Plasma more often, my accuracy will improve. It’s amazing and fast, but the grinding, fitting, and sanding takes awhile and patience.

Next, I made tabs in the corners and drilled the sheet for mounting. In the next segment we’ll deal with the panel on the other side of the bike, the shifter peg side and exhaust manufacturing. Then I’ll shift back to the 45. I’ve got some wild historic engine breakdown illustrations demonstrating racing notions, to share.

How’s she look?

This is the original aluminum dash that we mounted the old Triumph handlebar fairing to for positioning, but I knew another dash panel needed to be in the works. Honestly I didn’t know how the hell I was going to build it. I grabbed a piece of stainless 1/6 inch sheet at the metal shop and went to work. I was thinking about using a jig saw to cut it, but dreading the maneuver. I knew it would take forever, then Jay arrived with the Plasma cutter.

We started the process with a sheet of heavy tar paper and cut a pattern as close to the actual dash area as possible.

I marked it out on the stainless and went to work, blasting away. What a bitchin tool. You can cut a name into it, write your signature, whatever. I’m a newbie at the job and my lines were sloppy.

I ground, ground, then hit the edges with a emery disc. Once is was smooth I set it in the dash pocket, check it and made notes and marks, then ground some more. It took me a couple of days.

I thought I had a cool angle for the mounting tab and discovered that it wouldn’t work at all. I had to make another make and fire up the Plasma.

Once trick was figuring out the mounting hole positions and the electronic Custom Chrome speedo dash. I taped the original dash panel to the fairing then removed the bolts. I dropped the stainless plate into place and made markings from the back, then prayed.

Here’s that puppy with the holes drilled in place. Then we moved to our machine turning operation. Too bad the shots didn’t come out, ‘cause it was a major operation, figuring out the pattern, running out of emery discs and clamping the sheet down securely to keep each row in line. Ultimately it came out not bad.

It’s got that antique sportscar look and it was hand done on the Bikernet milling machine.

 The 19th annual Los Angeles Calendar Motorcycle Show & Calendar Music Festival presented by Motorcycle Attorneys Brown & Koro, America’s premier streetbike event marked its return to the Queen Mary Event Park in Long Beach on Sunday July 18th 2010. The Show’s return to it’s original 1-day format was a big success, both in reducing production costs for everyone involved from the bike product manufacturers and vendors, to the builders and spectators traveling from out-of-town and having to book hotels, to producers Jim Gianatsis and the Queen Mary. Visitor attendance was up for this year’s new 1-day Show, higher than the daily totals the last two years as the motorcycle industry and its event attendance has declined across America.

What the LA Calendar Show didn’t cut back on was its incredible entertainment value for spectators over the course of the jam packed 8-hour day. Fans were again treated to the incredible customs in the Calendar Bike Building Championship, the Calendar Bike Building Seminars, the L&L Motorsport World Record Dyno-Jet Dyno Shootout, over 5-hours of live stage performances in the Calendar Girl Music Festival, West Coast premiers of new model bikes from Los Angeles Indian, SoCal Ducati / Triumph among others, beautiful Calendar Kittens and models everywhere to pose with you for photos, plus complimentary admission aboard the historic Queen Mary ghost ship (normally $12 entry). Not to forget the free Saturday Night Builder’s party aboard the Queen Mary with Irish pop rock singer Juliet Tworsey and her band Fire Bug.

Other top FastDates.com Calendar builders holding free Calendar Builder Seminars during the day were Russell Mitchell / Exile Cycle and Todd Silicato / Todd’s Cycle. While former Best of Show winner and builder to the stars, Shinya Kimura showed off 2 of his latest bikes, one an old Flathead powered alloy faired racer still coated in the dust from a high speed run at El Mirage Dry Lake, and the other a commissioned custom bodied Ducati 999S Superbike named “Edge”. Also at the Show in the Metalsport Wheels display signing posters was celebrity custom car builder Chip Foose of Chip Foose Designs.

The Calendar Show’s exclusive L&L Motorsports produced World Championship Horsepower Dyno Shoot Out was open up to everyone to see just how strong their streetbike really was with Classes & Awards for all stock and modified American V-Twin and Metric Sportbikes. Taking home top prize again this year was former 545hp record holder John Noonan, posting this year a lower, but still impressive 469.69hp with another turbocharged Kawasaki Hayabusa.

The Calendar Girl Music Festival portion of the Show with its beautiful girl performers headlined the day with recording artist Emily Jaye and her band Frentik. Making a popular return engagement was the AC/DC Tribute rock band Whole Lotta Rosies, plus new Australian singer songwriter Katie Cole teaming up with another Show favorite Elizabeth Nicole, plus the world renown Purrfect Angelz song and dance group. The stage activities were hosted by Elizabeth Nicole who is also a TV and movie actress, and assisting Elizabeth with Awards Presentations at the end of the day was the legendary Keith “Bandit” Ball from Bikernet.com.

A special treat was 18-year old Krystan Lambert – the World’s Most Beautiful Magician and star on Fox TV’s “Masters of Illusion”. Krystan performed on the Main Stage during band change overs and in the Calendar Bike Builder’s Seminar Tent between classes with the famed FastDates.com Calendar builders. And if making a live rabbit appear out of thin air wasn’t enough, for Krystan’s final performance at the end of the day she made the Queen Mary ocean liner disappear, then reappear again before anyone noticed it was missing! Now that’s hare raising magic!

The Show itself celebrates the annual world premier of the new 2011 FastDates.com Motorcycle Pin Up Calendars, photographed by Calendar Show producer Jim Gianatsis with Calendar Kittens Melody Schuster & Candise Lakota on hand to meet with fans and autograph the new calendars.

The Calendar Bike Building Championship again featured many of the world’s top Pro and Amateur street bike builders competing for cash, awards, and the coveted FastDates.com Calendar Best of Show Trophy. The 10 Calendar Bike Building Championship Classes include the premier Radical Pro Builder Class sponsored by Iron Works magazine, plus 9 other classes for American V-Twin Custom and Street Bikes, Vintage Bikes, as well as Metric Sportbikes and Cruisers

Chris Flechtner / Speed Shop Design returned to the 2010 Show with an all new, completely unique and quite controversial design to take Best of Show. The bike named “Beezerker” features a mid ’60s BSA A65 engine in a fully hand built chassis and bodywork with such original features as parallelogram front forks and a frame which houses the oil tank and the hidden exhaust pipes routed up through the rear of the frame to exit at the rear of the seat cowling.

Just like Kenji Negai of Ken’s Factory, Japan, who took 1st Place Pro Builder in 2008 and returned with an all new and even more exciting bike to take 2009 Best of Show, Chris also returned for blood the 2nd time around after taking 1st Pro Builder with his retro styled Speed Shop Special #6 last year. Chis is an experienced professional designer who has devoted the last 2 years to build two completely different custom bikes to premier at the LA Calendar Motorcycle Show.
“Beezerker” was Chris’ first attempt in working with aluminum which he used to build the bike’s fuel tank and 1930’s Metropolis style bodywork. He also built all the hand and foot controls from scratch, including the foot mechanically actuated rear sprocket brake. The bike’s originality defies description, if not classification, and could have been entered in nearly every one of the Show’s Calendar Bike Building Championship’s 10 classes from Modern and Classic Twin, to Street Custom and Sportbike. For 2 years now Chris has entered the Pro Builder Class in the Calendar Bike Building Championship, winning first the Pro Builder Class, and now this time around Best of Show.

Speed Shop Special #6 is featured in the just released 2011 Iron & Lace Calendar and in the FastDates.com Calendar Bike Garage.Beezerker was photographed by Jim Gianatsis on Monday after this year’s Show to also appear on the FastDates.com website shortly, and in the next FastDates.com Calendars.

2010 Calendar Bike Building Championship & Dyno Results:
FastDates.com Calendars Best of Show: Chris Fletcher / SpeedShopDesign.com, “Beezeker” special construction with BSA A65 Engine.

Iron Works Pro Builder: 1. Charlie Montgomery / U.S. Kustoms, Trike based on 1961 H-D; 2. Scotty Cox and Cecil Bond Kyte, Special construction aluminum bike featured on Discovery Channel w/S&S 124ci; 3. Russell Mitchell / ExileCycles.com, 2006 H-D Street Bobber.

Mikuni Street Custom: 1. Todd Silicato / ToddsCycle.com, “SpeedKing”; 2. Gino Ilacqua/ 2007 Custom Pro Street w/ S&S 124ci, Baker 6-speed; 3. Doug Ide / I-Off, 2010 H-D Softaul w/ 96ci modified.

Mikuni Street Performance: 1. Paul Binford/ BCC Chopper Softail w/ 110ci; 2.Billy Swope / Reno Chop Shop, 1993 H-D Heritge Softail w/ S&S 124ci; 3. Paul Binford, 2010 H-D Roadking w/ 131ci.

Mikuni Street Chopper: 1. Paul Binford/ BCC Chopper, H-D Roadglide w/ 124ci, Bonneville racer; 2. Sam Baldi, Softail Air ride w/ S&S 113ci; 3. Jeff Chirno, “Scarface” 2010 Special Construction w/S&S 100ci.

Iron Works Bar Hopper: 1. Nick Stringer / Metal Head Fabrication, special construction w/Yamaha XS650 twin; 2. Rudy Martinez, “Bloody Mary” 1969 Triumph Hardtail; 3. Joe Acevedo, H-D.

Iron Works Classic Early Pre 1956: 1. Shinya Kimura / ChabottEngineering.com, 1948 H-D Knucklehead Dry Lake Racer; 2. Keith Ball / Bikernet.com, H-D Evo Retro Board Tracker; 3. Gilbert Martus, H-D Springer w/ 103ci Screamin’ Eagle.

Iron Works Classic Late Post 1956: 1. Julio Martinez, 1978 H-D Shovelhead; 2. Julio Martinez, 2001 H-D Fatboy w/ 95ci.; 3. Karl Davis, 2006 H-D Electro Glide with matching 1955 Nomad Trailer.

Iron Works Sportster: 1. Caleb Owens & Conrad Leach / CROcustoms.com, 1986 H-D Sportster Retro Boardtrack Custom.

Metric Custom: 1. Jim Giuffra / AFTcustoms.com & Model Agency, “Kimosabe” modified 2010 Honda Bobber Bonneville Racer w/ 2010 VT750B engine full race.

Fast Dates Sportbike: 1. Chris Redpath / MotoGPwerks.com, 1981 Suzuki Katana Retro-Mod Superbike with MotoGP suspension and telemetry, traction control, w/ 836cc Yoshimura GSXR Race Engine; 2. Ryan Torgeson, 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa air ride custom w/Garret Turbo; 3. Ryan Babcock & Tony Sesto / Sesto Customs / 2005 Suzuki GSXR600 Custom.

L&L Motorsports Calendar Show World Record Dyno: 1. John Noonan, Kawasaki Hayabusa turbocharged, 469.69hp.
Jim Gianatsis, producer
Gianatsis Design Associates
LA Calendar Motorcycle Show & Calendar Girl Music Festival
FastDatescom Calendars & Website
ph 818 223 8550

Editor’s Note: We’ve made several bike builders rich and famous,because they were featured in magazines and on television, but here’s anarticle about a true motorcycle hero. Sputnik, a man who devoted his life tomotorcycle freedom.

Memorial services for Bill “Sputnik” Strain were held July 10,2010 on the steps of the Texas State Capital Building.  An estimated two thousand motorcyclistsmet at a VFW Post 8787 and accompanied Sputnik on his last ride to the TexasState Capital building.  Theprocession of riders spread for miles along Interstate 35 and through thestreets of Austin.  Sputnik wouldhave been proud that his “legislative warriors” turned out in strength to mournhis passing and celebrate his life and achievements.

Speakers at Sputnik’s memorial service included a motorcycleminister, a1% MC chapter president, a close family friend and a former TexasState Representative.  Pop’s, a memberof the Circuit Riders Motorcycle Ministry, cautioned that we may have “lost ourleader, but let’s not lose our freedom”.

 Gimmi Jimmy, thePresident of the Austin Bandido MC and National Commander of the U.S. Defendersassured the audience that motorcyclists rights in Texas were still in goodhands and the work Sputnik started would be carried on.  Sputnik knew his days were running outand a replacement, Escondido Paul, was trained by the man .  A close family friend, Janet Planet,read a resolution accepted by the Texas State Congress summarizing Sputnik’sachievements as a political activist. The Honorable Nancy Chavez, a former State Representative from District76 (El Paso) presented Sputnik’s widow with a flag that had flown over theState Capital building. 

Sputnik lived in the Galveston area, in Alvin, Texas. His wife,Gwen, and several children survive him. Before becoming a motorcycle rights activist he owned an exterminatingbusiness and was a shrimper. Sputnik was truly one-of-a-kind; he championed the rights ofmotorcyclists at both a state and national level.  He logged over one million six hundred thousand milesorganizing the motorcycle community and educating them on the legislativeprocess.  His hair was cut in aMohawk, perhaps to acknowledge in Native American ancestry and he had the word“Free” tattooed in the center of his forehead.

Sputnik established the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association in1992 and was instrumental in repealing the state’s mandatory helmet law in1997.  He sat on the board ofdirectors of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) and was a long-timemember of the NCOM Legislative Task Force. NCOM Founder Richard M. Lester said;“Sputnik is so universally loved and respected, from MRO leadership to COCpatch holders and from bikers on the street to state and federal lawmakers,that his passing leaves a void which can only be filled by all of us movingforward together with his spirit and resolve.”

Sputnik’s list of accomplishments was exhaustive; he’s beenreferred to as the “greatest motorcycle rights activist” of all time.  He developed a “five steps to freedom”that can be applied to any special interest group.  His philosophies have even been included in high school textbooks. He was proud of the work that he did, both for motorcyclists in Texas aswell as those across the United States.

You know that Sputnik is looking down upon us from his heavenlyhome, knowing that the fight for freedom will continue and that he hasinfluenced future generations of warriors to continue working to keep all of usfree.

THE LONG ROAD 2010:

The Long Road, in my mind, can be described in one word: Euphoric! What elsecan you say when: A) The staff of a cool bike magazine that promotes RIDING, B)The House Band (Three Spoke Wheel), C) 60 or so chopper jockeys that are”The Real Deal”, and D) the Chop Off contestants, all ride in smallgroups across the country and stop to party every night together atpredetermined locations!

 
This ride ranks right up beside my own six-week 10,000-mile solo tour as”One of the best times I’ve ever had in my life!” The scheduled stopswere excellent choices. I -40 isn’t exciting itself, but was a good choice tomake time and provided a recognizable route for assistance if it was required.

 
SMOKE OUT WEST

The Long Road started at the Smoke Out West, which was held in a differentlocale this year. Aside from a few minor first year glitches, I felt was agreat event. It was very community oriented and a little tamer than it’s easterncounterpart. The town organized the poker run which gave riders a chance to seesome of the area on a self-guided tour.

 The SOW was also a good chance to savorsome of the local culture. It was a neat surprise when I went into the localMcD’s and they had a framed copy of Billy and Captain America hanging in therestaurant! The community seemed to welcome the riders and was very friendly. Iwould love to see it here again and figure it would be even better the nexttime around!

 
BRASS BALLS BOBBERS AND CHOPPERS

Although I arrived late as I misread the directions, the first evening at BrassBalls was excellent. Dar, Brian, and the rest of the staff were reallyhospitable. The large crowd really enjoyed the band but after riding thescorching interstate all day, I chose to cool off in the air-conditionedcustomer service area. After the party, there were about 20 or so strays fromThe Long Road with no accommodations. Dar wasn’t expecting this but made aquick decision and was kind enough to let us all stay in the compound. Thisnight was really the catalyst to creating a lot of new friendships. We partied’till 2AM and EVERYONE slept under the stars beside their bikes. Thanks Dar!

 
BYRD’S CAMPGROUND, OZARK MOUNTAINS, ARKANSAS

From the comments I heard at the SOE, most people’s favorite stop was the BakerDrivetrain party at Byrd’s Campground in the Ozarks in Arkansas. The serenityof the grounds, the relief the river and trees provided from the 100-degree heat,and the great picnic style dinner all provided a nice contrast to big citiesand interstates. The river was so satisfying that Roadside Marty, myself andabout 10 other people stayed in the river, laughing it up until midnight. TheZip line was a blast to watch! The band that entertained was pretty good too. Iwould like to have seen the 4 wheel rock crawlers, but missed it. Thanks BakerDrivetrain and Byrds!

 
MEMPHIS PUB CRAWL
 
Beale St. in Memphis was a great spot for our third stop and the folks atCustom Chrome really came through. The way they closed the street topedestrians provided a chance to check out different venues without having todown your drink at each bar and become inebriated. The variety of entertainmentand the open street gave it a festival like atmosphere. This is a reallyhistoric and visually stunning area for any music lover. It was pricelesswatching Harold and the Aussies sing “I Got Friends In Low Places” inthe karaoke bar! The last stop included a raffle with some really good qualityparts and stuff from Custom Chrome.

 
 
MOVIES AT DEER RUN CAMPGROUND
 
This was another really unique experience! I arrived late (AGAIN!) due totaking a longer alternate route. It was cool watching a movie out under thestars, yet not being at a drive-in. Camping in the outdoors without having toleave and go to a motel really is a great way to get to know the people you’reriding with. The weather was so great the whole trip that many of us tookadvantage of it and slept out under the stars for the second time!

 
WHEELS THROUGH TIME MUSEUM

Do guys riding across the country want to check out vintage motorcycles thatactually run??? HELL YEAH!!! To see this incredibly impressive display of streetbikes, hill climbers, dirt trackers and others, and realize many were restoredby a small staff of volunteers is amazing. It’s hard to choose a favorite bikeor display, but I’d have to say seeing one of Evel Knievel’s bikes and thedisplay of odd uses of motorcycle engines were tops. I chose to leave and tryto put more miles on Thursday to lessen Fridays ride to Rockingham. BadChoice!!! We were invited to stay at the museum and camp and by all accounts,the guys that did, had one heck of a time with Dale and his staff after closingtime!

 
SMOKE OUT EAST

Salisbury was my first and now I’ve been to Rockingham twice. Sturgis is”The Grand Daddy Of Them All” and the scenery is beautiful, Laconiahas the history and scenery, and Daytona has the beach and warm weather, but Irate the The Smoke Out as the best biker party of them all. The size ismanageable and the people are “Our Type” of people. Most of the guyson The Long Road enjoyed their new friends on the ride so much, that we all seemedto hang out together at the SOE. The “near tornado” and downpour thathappened didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. However, the landscape waslittered Sunday morning with over one hundred tent frames and looked like a warzone!

 
I do have three small complaints and none are staff related.
 
First, I left late Sunday morning and was amazed at the number of bikes in theback of trucks and trailers. I realize that sometimes there are LEGIT reasonsfor this (i.e. medical) and that chase trucks or group camping gear requirethem, but COME ON PEOPLE, let’s not turn this into trailer week as has happenedat the big three rallies. This whole event is about riding to your destination!

 
Second, leave the golf carts and crap at home. You RODE your bike, so use it asyour taxi, or walk, just like the old days!

 
Third, don’t just talk the talk. Remember the #1 rule of the road for bikers.If a rider is pulled over, stop and see if they need help! It may only take afew seconds of your time and save someone a lot of hassle! Tic Toc (Chop Offwinner) had problems only 30 or so miles outside Rockingham and sat for over 20minutes while trailer queens and riders alike passed by.

 
THE LONG ROAD SUMMARY

As far as I know, everyone made it to Rockingham. I heard of a few close callssuch as Caleb’s unintentional lane splitting of two tractor-trailers, buteveryone arrived in one piece. Each night along the way provided an opportunityfor all of us to get to know one another much better than just a party weekend.Even though each night was great in itself, these all took a back seat to thecamaraderie I witnessed on the road between the guys and gals. They would stayup all night or miss events to work on bikes in hotel rooms or campgroundchange rooms just to make sure their riding companions made it to NorthCarolina. The feeling I got when I saw this was so heartwarming. These guystruly are BROTHERS OF THE ROAD!

 
 
I had my own story of roadside assistance when I helped a fellow rider who hadcrashed in Colorado even before the SOW. Hope you’re recovery is going wellMark and I’d like to thank Jim at JM Tire Co. in Walsenburg, Colorado fortaking care of Mark’s bike so I could hit the road.

 
The Long Road is an event that is second to none. I would recommend it (andwill!) to anyone I talk to. It was great meeting and riding with a bunch oflike-minded people who are “The Real Deal”! Edge and his assistantshave done a truly awesome job and I’d like to congratulate them and thank themfor allowing me to enjoy such a great experience!

 
–Brian “Uncle Ben” Sauer
Kanadian Korrespondant

Editor’s Note: For decades motorcycle rightsgroups were on the defensive, fighting helmet laws, handlebar laws, and noiseregulations. The one caveat to that assumption was motorcycle training efforts,then motorcycle awareness. More and more groups, including FEMA – The EuropeanMotorcyclists’ Federation, have gone offensive todevelop successful safety systems. The outcome is fascinating and should be alesson for our greater society. It’s not all about legislation and regulation.It’s about education, training, and infrastructure. The key elements appear tobe: Training, alcohol use reduction, motorcycle awareness, new motorcyclefriendly guardrails, and improved infrastructure, designed with motorcycles inmind.

         Theseelements aren’t sexy or controlling, but they work, and don’t require morerestrictive legislation. Below is a description and the safety goals from ABATEof Florida. We will bring you more info on successful safety measures, as theyland on the Bikernet milk crates.

Welcome to ABATE of Florida, Inc.’s MotorcycleSafety and Awareness Program

ABATE of Florida, Inc. is a state-widenon-profit organization of motorcycle enthusiasts from all walks of life.  We promote motorcycle safety awareness,encourage continuing rider training and political awareness.  We fund our work through motorcycle relatedactivities.  We are neighbors andfriends, who work, pay taxes, serve our country and vote.  We believe in freedom.  We use all legal means to protect ourrights without infringing on the rights of others.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. acknowledges the growthof motorcyclist of all ages riding in the State of Florida whether it is foreconomic reasons or pleasure.  We are dedicated to teach our Motorcycle Safety Awareness Program in ourefforts to reduce injuries and fatalities in our beautiful State of Florida.  Our program is a 45 minute presentationincluding two videos to help everyone driving on Florida’s roads become moreaware of motorcyclists.  Sharing the road with respect and knowledge is just one of many focuseswe have pertaining to Motorcycle Safety.

If you are planning on visiting or live in ourbeautiful State of Florida whether you choose to ride or drive here are somefacts to keep in mind:

    *

      Obey all traffic laws, signs &signals

    *

      Constantly check and expect to seemotorcycles

    *

      Motorcycles are smaller than cars ortrucks and it can be more difficult to judge their approaching speed

    *

      Look, look, & look again attraffic intersections before you turn or pull out

    *

      Allow a three second “Space Cushion”when following a motorcycle

    *

      There are 7 to 9 blind spots in anaverage vehicle

    *

      Give Motorcycles the same respectand courtesy that you want for yourself and other motorists

For Laws pertaining to riding a motorcycle inthe State of Florida please visit www.hsmv.state.fl.us/handbooks/Motorcycles/intro.html.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. goal is 0 injuries and 0fatalities for the State of Florida.

Plain and simple:   WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES

ABATE of Florida, Inc. and your local ABATEchapter offer the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Program to any organization orschool free of charge. For more information or to arrange for a presentation,please call the state office 386-943-9610.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. and its’ members havemade a commitment to the motorcyclist of Florida to try and help make riding theroads of Florida less dangerous. For many years they have worked to make animpact by informing the non-riding public about motorcycle awareness and safeways to share the road with motorcycles.

Members of ABATE of Florida, Inc., throughoutthe state, are trained to become instructors in our MSAP program. They thenvisit schools, expos and other organizations spreading motorcycle awareness.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. holds many workshops onMotorcycle Safety.  At theseseminars, experts from all over the country speak on Motorcycle Safety. Some ofour presentations in the past have included Two Trauma 1st Responder, ourMotorcycle Safety and Awareness Program, being properly insured, from the Eyesof the Law, and much more.

In 2006, ABATE of Florida, Inc., in cooperationwith the Florida Department of Highways increased their efforts in motorcycleawareness with items such as billboards, public service announcements, posters,an additional Motorcycle Awareness video and various other key items.

We work each year with the Governor to proclaimMay as Motorcycle Safety and Awareness month.

With the increase of vehicles on our highways,motorcycle safety has become an even larger concern. Too many motorcyclists arebeing injured or killed due to the negligence of others.

Not only must we educate the non-riding public,we must educate the riding public about the laws of Florida and other states aswell as federal laws so they can be safe wherever they ride.  Safety begins the moment you straddle amotorcycle or slip behind the wheel of a car.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. is working diligently tospread the message, “WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES.”

 Thefollowing links are provided for those who desire more information concerningMotorcycle Safety and Awareness:

 

Florida Motorcycle Fatalities Down 24 Percent

By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Florida’s weather gives motorcycle enthusiasts virtually 365days every year to take off on the open roads.

Marianne Trussell, chief safety officer for the FloridaDepartment of Transportation, thinks that weather is a big reason the state hasso many bikers.

“You can ride every day and you’ve got the opportunity,and they like to get out there and

ride,” she said.

With all those bikers on the roadways, the chances foraccidents are greater. Fortunately, the

number of Florida motorcycle fatalities dropped 24 percentin 2009 after a decade of steep

increases.

These declines mirror a national trend. In 2009, motorcyclefatalities went down 10 percent nationally after 11 years on the rise. Statesother than Florida also had dramatic decreases:

California went down 29 percent; New York, 16 percent.

In 2009, Highlands County had its lowest number ofmotorcycle deaths in five years. Two people were killed in motorcycle-related accidentslast year, compared to seven in 2008,

according to information from the Florida Department ofHighway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV).

In 2005, the Heartland registered three motorcycle-relatedfatalities, followed by five in 2006 and three in 2007.

“The decrease in motorcycle deaths is a very positivetrend, especially during a large increase in motorcycle traffic,” saidFlorida Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Miller via e-mail. “While the exactreason/reasons is unknown, safety and public awareness campaigns have certainlycontributed.”

As for motorcycle-related injuries in Highlands County,there were 32 in 2009, according to FDHSMV records. That was up significantlyfrom the 21 registered in 2008, but down from the

five-year peak of 43 in 2006.

Getting the word out

In 2009, volunteers from motorcycle clubs, the FDHSMV, lawenforcement and insurance agencies formed a coalition to promote motorcyclesafety, according to Trussell.

“Everybody’s got to look out for everybody,” shesaid.

One of the campaigns they promote is “Look Twice, Savea Life,” an initiative that encourages drivers behind the wheel to checkfor motorcycles.

“The most common fatal crash involving motorcycles is avehicle turning in front of an oncoming motorcycle,” Miller said.”Motorists should always look specifically for motorcycles before enteringthe roadway.”

While it might not be enforced, more and more riders arestarting to understand that helmets are vital when riding a motorcycle,Trussell said.

As it stands, there are no laws in Florida that require arider to wear a helmet. There are laws on the books, however, to make suremotorcycle enthusiasts have a good understanding of how the vehicle worksbefore taking to the road.

FHP Capt. Mark Welch credits legislation implemented in July2008 that requires new motorcycle riders to take a course before being allowedon the roadways with helping to decrease the number fatalities. For riders whodecide to test the limits of the bikes, enhanced penalties may be in order,according to Welch.

Florida statutes pertaining to motorcycles say both wheelsmust stay on the ground, a rule against those who want to “popwheelies,” Welch said. And if a driver is clocked going 50 miles over theposted speed limit, the fine comes out to $1,000.

“That’s for anybody that goes in excess of 50 miles anhour over the posted speed limit,” Welch

said.

July 20, 2010

Mr. Hensley,

My attention has been called to Brad Dickerson’s “CountyMotorcycle Deaths Drop in 2009” article, printed in Highlands Today on 7/19/10.

Although much of the information is correct in the article,it was incorrect in stating there has been a decade of steep increases

in motorcyclists’ deaths in Florida.  As a matter of fact, Florida Departmentof Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FL DHSMV) reported no increase ordecrease of deaths in 2007, and a 3.3% decrease in 2008.  With almost 700,000 registeredmotorcycles in Florida, every bit of a percentage point representing a decreaseof deaths is important.

ABATE of Florida, Inc. and our over 7,500 members areexcited to hear of the 24.4% decrease in motorcyclists’ deaths reported

in 2009.  Thismay very well mean that our partially state-funded Motorcycle Safety andAwareness Program (MSAP) may be showing signs of successful impact.  However, we are disappointed byunfounded comment Marianne Trussell stated regarding helmet use.

Ms. Trussell’s printed statement “… more and more riders arestarting to understand that helmets are vital when riding a

motorcycle,” appears to be unfounded, requiring ABATE ofFlorida, Inc. to respectfully disagree with her.  We have not seen or heard of any empirically-qualified studytaken place in Florida which suggests the Chief Safety Officer for the Florida

Department of Transportation’s statement is based onfact.    

We will not debate the effectiveness of helmet use in ahead-trauma-related motorcycle accident. Although the December 2009 NHTSA’s Traffic Safety Facts Research Note (DOT HS 811 254) states in aquestionable study that helmet use is on the rise nationwide, the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration’s report also admits that they estimatehelmets are only “37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycleriders”.  Their study, the only oneof its kind, specifically did not stop any motorcyclists to question theirreasons for wearing or not wearing a helmet.  

Additionally, the FL DHSMV reports that of all fatalmotorcycle accidents in Florida in 2009, 53.23% of the riders and passengers WEREwearing helmets.  Even though weregret any motorcycle-related deaths, the numbers cited here do not lead to anyindication of individual motorcyclists’ thoughts or opinions.  

Without an empirical study to base her statement on, wewelcome Ms. Trussell to revise her statement to being one of her own opinion,and not one of the unknown opinion of all motorcyclists in Florida.

Dave “Lockdown” Rich

State PR/Communications Trustee &

State Webmaster, ABATE of Florida, Inc.

(386) 490-4821     (386) 490-4482 fax

cc: Stephanie C. Kopelousos, Florida Secretary ofTransportation

This industry is quirky, full of scoundrels and outlaws. A couple of guys from Bassani Exhaust took me to lunch recently to discuss advertising on Bikernet. Did they advertise, no. But they talked me out of the Salt Shaker, tempting me with a tall tale about some buxom blonde who could be my girl for the Cincinnati, Ohio V-Twin show weekend.

The next thing I know, I'm delivering the World's Fastest Sport Bike Panhead, owner of a 2006 World Land Speed Record of 141.64 mph, to the Bassani factory, where they tore off my hand-made Bikernet.com exhaust system and tossed it in the trash. They proceeded to build a completely new Bassini exhaust system to fit the 120-inch Accurate Engineering Panhead configuration. They coated it with a special silver ceramic coating.

The boss, Darryl Bassani, who has owned and built this business since it's inception, never even came out of his mountaintop office to see me, but Nick his marketing guy kept nodding and telling me everything was okay.

Bassani has been a recognized leader in specialized exhaust components for more than 30 years, when they began designing exhaust systems for motorcycles in 1969.

“Although we still design and manufacture motorcycle exhaust systems,” said Nick while trying to lead me out of their building, “we have expanded our focus to include the automotive performance aftermarket. Car and truck enthusiasts today have a renewed interest in performance and Bassani precision-designed exhaust components are the easiest way to significantly improve power, performance, sound and fuel efficiency.”

I tried to ask him about the EPA and restrictive anti-tampering laws, but he shoved me toward my truck with promises of some bubbly blonde, Carly Ann Rose, who would hang with me at Cincy at the V-Twin Expo in just a week.

“With over three decades of design experience focusing on maximum performance, Bassani has learned what works and what doesn’t,” Nick went on. “We have the ability to develop products designed to optimize performance and the technical expertise to implement these designs. The emphasis at Bassani is excellence in design, quality of materials, precision fit and improved performance. Bassani is recognized for unsurpassed quality and fit; starting with superior materials for durability, precision mandrel bends for consistency and precise welding by expert craftsman. All stainless steel products are backed by a lifetime warranty. Bx Performance products are covered by a limited warranty.”

Nick's marketing lingo was putting me to sleep. I had to peel out, leaving my first 5-Ball Racing, ground-up Bonneville build, designed by John Reed, behind at the Bassani headquarters. I got a strange vibe, but also the promise of a Cincinnati girl. I remembered back in the day when I would spend an entire event in a hotel room with the right (or sometimes the wrong) girl.

A couple of weeks passed and I called Bassani and asked for Nick. “Hey Nick,” I said. “Can I have my motorcycle back? I've paid a great deal for one evening with the right girl, but never gave up an entire motorcycle.”

“Our customer base is very loyal and is comprised of a growing number of enthusiasts who demand the very best,” said Nick.

“Hey man,” I interrupted his marketing ramble. “Listen, I've got too many meetings set up at the V-Twin Expo, you can keep the blonde. Besides, it's redheads who drive me over the top. I want my bike back.”

“Our well-deserved reputation for cutting edge technology has provided Bassani with a very bright future as a leading exhaust system manufacturer,” Nick said as if he was making a recording. “We are dedicated to providing our customers with the finest quality, performance and superior technology in every product we manufacture. Bassani is proud of the fact that all of our products are designed, tested and manufactured in the U.S.A.”

I hung up the phone and called back for Gary Naito, the Bassani art director. “Gary, what the hell's going on down there?” I was getting shaky.

“Listen man,” Gary said. “I can't talk to you. I'll get canned. The pipes are cool right? The blonde is hot. I'll send you a couple of shots during the shoot. Just don't tell anyone you got 'em from me.” He hung up.

I'm taking the train to Cincinnati. I need to find the Bassani booth, rescue my Salt Shaker, check out my blonde bombshell and cut a dusty trail. She's supposed to sign and hand out posters of the Salt Shaker all weekend (February 7 and 8th). Wish me luck.

Wednesday

The key word was, “Today's the day.” We only had a day-and-a-half left!

We changed the plugs to 4163 Autolites. We hadn't employed the Nitrous system, and I could see the need in Berry's eyes. He spent an entire year building this engine specifically for nitrous, to counteract the nature of the salt and lack of air density, and we hadn't reached a comfortable stage for its use.

Valerie was also a factor. She still wasn't completely comfortable with the bike or the salt conditions and the thought of 30 more horsepower spinning the rear wheel against the uncertain salt was daunting.

Some team members grouse and threatened to steal leathers and make a pass, but we stayed the course with our GoDaddy.com pilot. The plugs we set at .028 and Berry switched the main for an 80, one step leaner. He retarded the timing two degrees in the rear cylinder and asked Valerie to go like a mutherfucker.

“Pull a Burt Munroe and get it on the salt,” Berry said.

Another weather front was moving in and only three or four bikes ran in the morning including Jay Allen, who blew his engine. The wind kicked up and rain threatened. Some team members were forced to split. My son, Frank and his wife Yvette took off, Hiway and Marc were forced to return to work 600 miles away in the Bay Area. Gene Koch's health wasn't the best and Dr. Hamster took him home. The maximum wind rule for the short course bikes was 11-13 mph and they shut the track down. At 3 mph, streamliners won't run.

We were scrambling and watching the barometer. It showed 68.5 millibars and we were calculated to be at 5700 feet. Good news. The rooster tail of salt was a concern. Every night we hit the Billiard Bar at the Nugget Casino where the racers hung out, had a couple of “Adult Beverages,” and discussed racing tactics. One of the starting line judges was always on hand, freshly shaved, in a clean shirt and smiling, Bob. We looked like shit and smelled. He followed the Assalt Weapan build on Bikernet.com and was amazed.

“There's a balanced triangle of elements for success on the salt,” Bob said. “You need horsepower, aerodynamics and tractions in equal parts. You're loosing traction. The forth element is the rider.” We discussed adding weights to the rear wheel and that seemed to be the answer, plus we owned the duct tape to make it happen.

I called Nate once more, the tire master from Signal Hill, California for advice. Could we lower the rear wheel tire pressure?

“No,” he said, “38 psi is perfect. Lowering the tire pressure will jeopardize the tire construction and it could breakdown. Add weight over the axle.”

We had tent weights to hold our tents from blowing away and Gypsy packed one 5-pound tent weight on each side of the fender. Then we discovered 10-pound cast iron dumbbells in Duffy's motor home belonging to his wife, Kim.

“At least they're silver,” Gypsy said.

“Weight in front of the rear wheel amounts for 50 percent over the axle,” Nate explained, but when we suggested weights on the rear pegs right at the axle, Valerie vetoed the notion.

“I wouldn't be comfortable with weights there,” she said.

We were able to place all the weights inside our panels for no negative Aero effects. More good news.

The air was cool and a blessing for the bike, but we stood in line too long. Each time we might make a pass or advance in line, the wind shut the track down. It was 1:15 and the sun was burning the positive air density away. In addition to burning daylight, we were burnin' air quality. At 1:20, Bub's staff released another five bikes to pre-stage including Roger Goldammer.

At 3:30, we fired the bike to make our first run of the day, and it popped on one cylinder. Under pressure to make a run, Berry shut it down, fooled with some wires and tried again. We were standing on the starting line. Other riders were damn anxious to make their passes and we had to move. He fired it to life and both cylinders ran, but not for long. Val made her pass on one cylinder at 103 mph.

That damn chain guard broke again and we scrambled to find a bad wiring connection. One of the coils was losing connection and it turned out to be number two. We ran single-fire, dual-plugged heads. It couldn't be the plugs. We were going for broke. The afternoon was slipping away and the only way to make a winning pass was to engage the nitrous. We fixed the wire and the chain guard with tywraps, by Jeremiah, and jammed to the staging position at the other end of the track.

Valerie hit the nitrous button but was unsure and data acquisition indicated only a momentary boost to one cylinder. But our run came in at 157.743. Not bad. Berry and Duffy pulled the plugs and Dave Rash from D&D checked them.

“Perfect,” he said. “Don't fuck with the mixture.”

Mixture and air velocity were critical considerations. Berry initially wanted to run a velocity scoop. Larry Petrie developed a ram velocity stack for his Chop N Grind, 100-inch V-Twin, but it never ran over 133 mph, whereas last year he easily turned over 150 mph.

There was so much to consider. Wind tunnels call for moving the air around the vehicle as neatly as possible: anything else will slow the vehicle down. Plain velocity stacks work to a degree, except when the passing air yanks oxygen back out of the carb for a drop in air velocity. Air scoops and rams jam air into the carb, but it's difficult to determine how to control or regulate the pressure for best performance at various speeds.

We hauled ass back to impound at 6:05 and negotiated with the AMA officials about one more run. At 6:11, Ken from the AMA stopped all runs, but promised that if we were ready to go, bright and early in the morning, we would be in the first group. It also meant we had to start making passes all over again for an improved record. The FIM requires that the second pass take place within 2 hours and the AMA dictates the second pass is made within the calendar day.

Thursday

Barry was up a 4:30. He never slept, but paced the halls and his mind for answers, solutions and performance mods. He had become the madman team captain. He removed lotsa pressure from me, and I was relieved at times to have a partner at the helm. His girlfriend Gypsy, a bike builder and surgical nurse, darted around us constantly assisting and running for anything we needed. The track was scheduled to open every morning a 6:00 and runs began at 7:00 if weather and salt conditions prevailed.

At 7:00 a.m., we rolled the wounded and repaired Assalt Weapan to the staging area and requested our place at the fire-line front.

The sun came on strong, drying the track and driving the air density down, and we made our first pass at 9:45 blazing down the track at 151 mph. Valerie struggled to use our makeshift nitrous button and the track conditions weren't helping. Every day, as Berry straddled the Assalt Weapan for the three-mile run from the pits to staging, with Jeremiah peg pushing him, on his dirt bike, he was beat half to death on the jagged and lumpy saline surface. He was splayed out on this long rigid and the brackish plane surface was not designed for rigid frame travel. The bike took a beating with each run and staging, but that was part of the game of endurance on the salt.

I was beginning to understand the true obstacle to success for 2007 at Bonneville. At 10:20 we staged once more for a return pass and a nitrous attempt. Gypsy drove the rental SUV around the small pit inquiring for the use of a propane bottle to warm the nitrous container for the final pass. She was successful and Berry warmed the bottle to 900 psi before we launched. He was strident about this reading, knowing full well that as soon as we moved the terrifying torch from the bottle and the bike, the warmth would drop and so would the pressure.

“Give her all she's got,” Berry shouted.

Paul Holdsworth from IronWorks Magazine scored the propane. “I'm only too happy to help,” he shouted and Valerie rolled for her back-up pass at almost noon.

We crouched at the line and listened, praying for complete and high revving shifts. We crossed our fingers and toes. Then dashed to the other end of the track to retrieve Val, while listening to the radio for a report.

The information came, 161.7 mph and our best run yet. Still the nitrous wasn't used. Still we were nowhere near the redline we were after. We barely edged out of the 5,000 rpm range. The Assalt Weapan was capable of so much more.

We were told we had until 1:00 to make a record-boosting pass, but we had more repairs and Bikernet.com Television was attempting an interview. Another report came in that we had until 3:00 for a record pass and the Bub's crew would run bikes until 5:00 without times. We tightened bolts, checked her over and peeled to the staging area at 1:15. We had received bum info. Timing was closed and our week was complete.

Our educational process wasn't finished, though. We would learn more from other riders and at the banquet at 8:00. We set a record for the 2000 cc APS PF class, we knew that, but we accomplished far more. We just weren't aware of it yet.

Before, during and after the banquet we heard from other riders who couldn't survive passes at any speed due to the inclement salt surface conditions. We spoke to Larry Petrie of Chop and Grind.

“For a ground-up, first-time on the salt,” he said, “the Assalt Weapan performed extremely well. I ran consistently 20 miles under my regular times.”

That seemed to be the consensus. Then at 9:00, while I attempted to post a brief Thursday News report on Bikernet.com, a call came to my Nugget room from the Banquet.

“Bandit, at 8:44 exactly,” Berry Wardlaw said in a nerve-racked voice, “we were awarded the Best Engineered Motorcycle of the meet.”

That was the icing on a growing cake. The Assalt Weapan survived in harsh conditions. It made outstanding passes through a mud bog of salt. And finally it was recognized for engineering and design. We must have done a couple of things right.

Sidebars:

Here's our list of upgrades and improvements for the next brackish attempt:
1.We need to fix a couple of elements on our dash to allow the wiring pigtail to be removed and gauges to fit better.
2. Jim Waggaman will repaint the front fender and take a couple of dimples out of it.
3. Although the bike tracked like a champ I would like to have the frame checked for straightness.
4. We need a 44 and 46-tooth sprocket.
5. We will move the NOS solenoids back behind the panels and run braided steel lines to the heads.
6. There's been thoughts of running Zeus fittings for the panels. It's a consideration.
7. We are considering remaking the oil tank with heavier guage steel so we're confident that it will sustain the weight of the bike and won't break our backs to move it.
8. I have a plan for the chopped rear panels. We are going to smooth and repaint them. Then we're building 1/4-inch thick peg panels where the cut-away area was, with a variety of peg locations and weight holding capabilities on the inside. This will accomplish three elements: Improved peg location for ergonomics, repair our Aero problem and afford a secure weight containment area.
9. Make a new chain guard, goddamnit.
10. Definitely need a wind tunnel test.

That should do it to make that 200 mph pass ours. Let's see what happens next.

Packing for Bonneville:If you want to leave for Bonneville with just your bike and your clothes, you could do that and possibly survive. They do serve food and water on the salt, however at a price. If you want to pack to be self-sufficient, here are a few necessary things I learned.

It’s always good to book your hotel early. There are PLENTY of hotels in Wendover, however, they do fill up fast the closer you get to race days. I booked three months in advance and had no problems. For the last couple of years we’ve stayed at the Wendover Nugget. Keep in mind that this is the host hotel and fills to capacity. You will not get fresh towels and room service everyday, as I think this event overwhelms the staff and they have not figured out how to hire extras for the week of BUB. Overall it is a good hotel; just don’t expect to be treated like you would in a Hilton. The restaurants get busy and are slow so we fixed our own coffee, breakfast and lunch on the salt. It was important to me to take care of our team. These guys and girls work hard and have to stand in lines for hours.

For the salt, you will need the following:
-Tents, walls for tents, weights for tents, chairs and tarps for the floor. You must leave the salt as you found it and do not want to spill oil on it. Cover the ground of your workspace.
-Folding tables are good and very useful.
-Trash can and bags, or just bags.
-Bicycle or dirt bike. You will be traveling distances every day to and from lines to pits. This year we took a motorized Cooler Scooter. Karley filled the cooler with ice-cold water and took it to rider and crew stuck in line throughout the week.
Broom and dust pan. Seems pointless as you track salt all day long but it is nice to start each modification with a clean workspace.
-Duct tape and zip ties.
-Lots and lots of water, and beverages of choice. You will NEED to stay hydrated.
-Ice chests
-Shop towels and paper towels and bath towels.
-Padding for knees when working on the ground. (Bad knees in our group).
-First aid kit
-Baggies for small parts.
-Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen and chapstick.

As for tools, extra parts and food, you’ll need to pack these according to your tastes, needs and storage limits or abundance. There is a grocery store in Wendover so daily trips for ice and fresh food were no problem. We took a motor home this year with lots of room and a fridge so food was fresh and healthy. If you have the room, more is better.

The Chop N Grind team had a coffee can full of all sized bolts, which was helpful to many teams. Also, if you’re one of the lucky few that make a record, when you tear your bike down in Impound, you will need boxes, baggies, etc., to hold the parts that come off the bike. A small bag or backpack was helpful for carrying tools to the line as well.

I’m probably forgetting something, but you get the picture. You will be on the salt from dawn to dusk, pack with that in mind.

Nyla

Unbelievable! We were forced to drive our motor home, loaded with the Assalt Weapan, dirt bikes, electric-powered scooter ice chests, 5-ball racing uniforms, stickers, tools, lifts, and granola bars, to downtown Long Beach to make a sponsor deposit before we could cut a dusty trail. We didn't want to eat casino toothpicks all week long. I need to thank Dave “The Jester” Florence, a Bikernet Reader and platinum sponsor, Bob Parsons of GoDaddy.com, all our Bikernet Reader Sponsors and Custom Chrome for helping us build this bike. We couldn't have accomplished the build or supplied grub on the salt for the hardworking team without that support, but we weren't out of town yet.

We sat in this rental fun mover in downtown Long Beach and counted the minutes. We were burnin' daylight, watching the Friday afternoon workers scramble for a myriad of freeways heading to Vegas on a Labor Day weekend.

We were fucked. Nyla and her daughter, Karley, were inside the bank, built in the late 1800s, negotiating, while Jeremiah and I parked illegally outside the plate glass windows and pulled ski masks over our sweaty faces. Nyla attempted to have funds released into our account, but the bank staff wasn't budging. I tapped the steering wheel and Jeremiah told nervous jokes and whistled. Banks.

We finally cut a dusty trail for the outskirts of LA. I call it no-man's land for Bikers. The city grows on a daily basis and progressively gets tougher to escape. We hit the 710 freeway north to the 105 east, to the 605 north, and then caught the 60 east to the 15.

It was almost 6:00 p.m. and the traffic wasn't awful by Los Angeles standards. The 15 is the notorious bastard that rolls from sprawling town to town heading toward Vegas. We hit Pomona, then San Bernardino, up the hill to Apple Valley, Victorville, Barstow, Baker and then cross the border into Primm Nevada where we were scheduled to stay, about 50 miles from Vegas.

One guy owned Primm, Nevada, who least land to casino brokers in Vegas and recently sold it to the Terrible Herbst family. They bought three casinos, Whiskey Pete's, Primm Valley Resort and Buffalo Bills, plus an outlet mall but not the land. Can you imagine the price tag? The Terrible Herbst oil company is seriously involved in racing, and recently someone fucked with their Nevada racing game, so they bought Primm to control their own race courses, unobstructed.

I've put the word out to a Primm executive. We could use a Bandit's Cantina Casino and a five-mile World Land Speed Record track. Whatta ya tink? Will they go for it? I like Primm. It's real small and easy to reach and escape from.

We snatched a much needed good night's rest and hit the Bonneville road in the morning. Highway I-15 rolls through Vegas to Mesquite Nevada at the border, slices off a corner of Arizona and into Salt Lake City, Utah, but there was a comfortable 100-mile short cut. We figured it's 750 miles from LA to Salt Lake, half-way to Sturgis from LA. From Salt Lake to Bonneville Salt Flats it's another 65 miles.

Our trip from LA to Bonneville, off the 15 and up the 93, taking the 316 direct route around Cathedral Gorge and the Snake Range, into Ely and then catching 93A into Wendover, covered about 650-675 total miles. Great roads, and we rolled into the grimy town of Wendover on the edge of Bonneville, the Great Salt Lake and the home of the Anola Gay airfield in the late afternoon. We arrived Saturday afternoon, to the hoots of the Chop N Grind Racing team from 16 Palms, California. They arrived a day early and set up. By the time we arrived, afternoon winds kicked up and we couldn't risk a trip to the salt.

Sunday morning, we rolled to the salt, checked in, then rumbled for five miles out to the pit area on uncomfortable salty surfaces, including a stretch of nasty potholes the size and depth of sauce pans. Was it a brackish sign?

Berry Wardlaw made a point, on bad Delta flights, to haul back a saline chunk the size of a shoebox. He snatched the salty souvenir in 1989 when he came to watch the Easyriders Team run Bob George's Streamliner for a record. The next year we broke the Motorcycle Streamliner World Land Speed Record. I was on the Easyriders' Team supported by our readers, and Bob George taught me engine building in the early '70s before I worked for Easyriders. Keith Ruxton was the engine builder and the crew chief during '89 and '90 attempts. Our final speed was 321 mph for a world record that endured for 16-years.

Sunday we unloaded the Assalt Weapan from the fun mover, checked her over and rolled her to tech. It was terrific to see other builders, but the controversy began when Jay Allen was asked to cut his Wink Eller fairing to pass tech. There's a set of obscure rules that vary from one sanctioning body to another. Racing rules are governed by three entities, AMA, SCTA and FIM. The Bub's meet recognizes the AMA rules, Speed Week and El Mirage are controlled by the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) and FIM is the European Sanctioning body.

They're all reasonable groups with rules that don't always fit, so the tech teams got together and decided we had to cut our rear panels some, to adhere. We were scrutinized harder this time and nerves frayed as we wondered what the judges were whispering about.

As we stood around biting our nails Valerie Thompson, our Pilot, and #3 in her division of Destroyer Drag racing arrived and was introduced to the Assalt Weapan for the first time. We built the bike to her specifications, but could never get her to come to LA for a fit, due to her harried schedule. We had the tech guys breathing down our necks and Valerie didn't fit. She couldn't reach the rear pegs comfortably, the grips were too large and the bars out of reach.

Team members yanked on the bars to pull them back to suit Valerie, and we broke off the only hydraulic brake line on the bike from the handlebars to the rear PM caliper. The team, consisting up of Nyla, Jeremiah, Berry Wardlaw, his girlfriend Gypsy (a biker build-off winner), Berry's partner Duffy and his wife Kim, Dr. Hamster – Christian Reichardt, Gene Koch, Hiwayman from Bikernet, and his riding partner Marc, along with yours truly, started clamoring for ideas.

Anxiety was high and we sensed a looming pressure to please Val, the judges and get out and make a pass. I had the bike tech'd twice before completion by a much respected SCTA official, who rode to Wilmington and inspected the Assalt Weapan. Tom Evans felt it met the SCTA rules, because 180 degrees of rear wheel showed. But the name, Tom Evans, didn't mean anything to this tech crew. I shut my mouth and waited.

Hiwayman and Marc rode 540 miles the previous day to arrive on time, and we were going to race, hell or high water. Eric Bennett, from Bennett's performance offered a replacement brake line, but it was too short, by an inch. We scrambled to the timing tower and a call went out. In short order, we had a line and Duffy's tool-carrying motor home packed a brake-bleeding syringe. Dennis Manning, of Bubs, the man who currently owns the Motorcycle World Land speed record, at 342 mph, supplied us with fittings.

“You better walk away,” Berry told me as they hack sawed corners our of our carefully designed rear panels. It was a heart breaker, but we came to run, no matter what. Larry Petrie, from the notorious Chop N Grind crew told me wise words regarding Valerie and the bike. “I haven't ridden my race bike in a year and it feels awkward,” he said. “She needs to get use to it.”

I passed the supportive words onto Valerie, and she kept trying the position. Berry, Jeremiah and Duffy buffeted the stock pegs with padding for a 1.5-inch closer reach. That didn't work. Val would work with what she had. Then the FIM official approached and complained about the peg placement. If I had to hear another word about the pegs, I was going to explode, but I remained calm on the exterior.

He was kind, but went off to confer with other officials and the rulebook. I checked that aspect several times; especially after the Chop N Grind team came to the Bikernet Headquarters and threatened to snitch me off, if I didn't move the pegs. I checked the rulebook once more. For Special Construction bikes the rule calls for pegs to be within 6 inches of the rear axle. I was cool–I thought.

Nick Roberts, of Nick's Performance and Amsoil, a 5-Ball racing sponsor, cut the AW panels with a hacksaw, and sliced peg notions continued to fly around our pit area. I maintained my cool, but after a solid year of building and research, I hurt inside. I pressed for making a pass in her current state.

We readied to make an practice run, the scrutinizing team came into our tent checked the panels, blessed the Assalt Weapan and looked for Val. This year her drag racing boots didn't cut it. She scoured the pits for another set of boots and Laura klock had an extra pair.

We heard Chris Carr, the fastest man on a motorcycle, just won the Illinois Spring Mile and was pumped to break his record on the salt. A buzz of salt fever filled the sun-baked air as we scrambled to disassemble our pit in the early evening wind and ready ourselves for the World's Fastest Wedding on the salt.

The reverend was our own official 5-Ball Racing Photographer, Scooter. Brian and Laura Klock were married on the salt in front of a Hamster gang gathering and Salt racers. The day was complete and we were ready for a pass with a very tentative pilot, but we didn't move the goddamn pegs.

Monday:

Monday morning ushered in a beautiful stellar day on the salt. Bonneville is like traveling to the moon, 65 square miles of flat brine. At dusk you could lose your way and never be found. During the day it's a vast photo studio with a crystalline white base and pure blue skies. In the afternoon threatening clouds approach like tropical thunderstorms over a small Pacific island. They color the sky in the distance and become gray and ominous as they approach, then wind kicks up, until all racing shuts down, tents flap and we clamor into an emergency teardown mode.

This bright blue morning kicked off with the Ack Attack, dual Hyabusa streamliner, making a sunrise run on the 11-mile course, for a 350 mph pass. At the two-mile marker their braking chutes deployed inadvertently and yanked the streamliner off course.

Shortly thereafter a run- whatcha-brung contestant crashed on the short course and an ambulance was called. Reports from the field indicated treachery on the salt, “It's like running on ice,” a racer testified.

We unwrapped the Assalt Weapan at 8:00 a.m. and prepared for a trial run on the run-whatcha-brung 3-mile track. Jeremiah was late again. The crap tables and roulette wheels got the best of him. Rex Harrison, Valerie's boyfriend and professional drag racing crewmember began to calibrate our AIM sports “Spanish Inquisition” system. It was European made and set to run on metric programs. Everything I purchased, I purchased twice. We needed it to read speed, rpms, exhaust temps and oil pressure.

Berry hauled along a barometer and air density meter, plus a calculator that told us the actual altitude based on these factors. He figured the air density equated to 6568 feet when the actual altitude was 4660. Not good for high-speed runs, but he jetted the bike accordingly. According to Rex's GPS we were dancing at 4224 feet and breathing hard.

Duffy brought his motor home containing more tools than I stuffed into a borrowed tool chest, and began checking the pushrods. Berry double-checked the ignition timing. Jeremiah chased an oil supply. We were sponsored by Nick's Performance who supplied us with three cases of Amsoil, which I left in the shop. We were told there was an Amsoil dealer on site, but we never found one. We borrowed one quart from the Chop N Grind maniacs next door.

For the first pass we installed 4164 Autolite plugs, called the 200 mph duct tape crew to order and put them to work. The padded pegs didn't work for Val. The generator exhaust from the motor home was killing crewmembers under the tent and we moved Duffy's motor home to create wind protection. It had its benefits and drawbacks, but at 12:45 we fired the Assalt Weapan to life, switched Big Boar batteries, put the other one on the charger and checked the oil pressure, which started at 24 and dropped to 18 pounds, when the engine warmed. We checked the oil tank cap and it was loose. Jeremiah fixed it.

Berry timed the bike at 35 degrees before TDC at 2000 rpms. Jeremiah found the original timing mark on the belt pulley. Rex set one idiot light on the dash to come on if the oil pressure dropped below 10 pounds and set a shift light to come on at 6,200 rpms, to warn Val to shift. We checked the tire pressure. The Nate shaved tires were full of nitrogen and read 36 in the front and 38 in the rear.

Val straddled the Assalt Weapan for her first run at 1:45. We fixed the uncomfortable throttle angle, but the pegs were still a problem. She wanted a test ride, but at the riders' meetings in the morning, officials warned against riding anywhere except on the tracks. It was as if it snowed the night before and there was 6 inches of soft treacherous salt anywhere off the tracks.

Jeremiah became a master of peg pushing the Assalt Weapan. He peg-pushed Valerie a couple of times in the pits, then up to the run-whatcha-brung staging area for the first trial pass at 2:50 p.m. We noticed an oil leak, but made our pass at 4:15 at 143.5 mph. Val seemed to blend with the bike and begin to understand the design characteristics, but the salt conditions robbed her confidence with the track.

The data acquisition system began to work as Rex pulled much needed info off the dash with a cable lead to Berry's computer. Val never exceeded 5400 rpms. We figured at 4800 rpms she hit her top mark of 143 mph and Berry figured we were at 7275 altitude based on air density. “The best air is at sunrise,” Berry explained. “The air density robs oxygen.”

“It's all 8th grade biology,” said the Whizzer man from the pit crew across from us. “Air is created by greenery and there's nothing green here in this pocket of nothingness.”

Tuesday

The next morning we hit the salt at 8:00 again and the line for the short International Course was long and foreboding, but our crew was anxious to unwrap the Weapan and get in line.

SIDEBAR: BONNEVILLE TEAM MEMBER ESCAPES THE FLATS AFTER MISHAP– We were on the salt and ready to rock. We had lots of new faces, all anxious to help us make the next pass. The bike, positioned on the lowered Kendon Lift, was covered with towels and tarps lashed down with bungie cords, but there were also a couple of straps holding the bike to the lift. A new member snapped a secure strap and over the bike went. It happens to all of us who work on bikes, sooner or later and more than once. Generally, any bike can take it, and so did the Assalt Weapan.

Here's Ian's story:

Well, I'm back home again, as are you by now, I would imagine. I wanted to drop you a line, and tell you, Nyla, how much I appreciated your phone calls to me after I left the flats. They really did help me when I was down. It is hard to describe what happened out there, but suffice to say, I was sick to my stomach when the Assalt weapon hit the ground. I mean, it's not like layin' your buddy's Fat boy down, this was a bike I had watched come together all year on the Internet with great interest, and even sent a few measly bucks in to help out with the project.

I watched eagerly every week waiting to see what Bandit had done since the last report, and was never disappointed. I had planned all year on trying to make it down there, and when it looked as though it was actually going to happen, I was like a kid in a candy store.

I packed up the E glide, and hit the road. Had a few episodes on the 1000-mile trip down there, but had a hoot the whole way, then got to meet a bunch of celebrities that I have seen on the tube many times, and actually going out to dinner with the team was too much. Then I was invited to the pits, and to help out? No way. Too much, so after I was there for about 3 minutes, and proceeded to dump the reason for the whole deal on the deck, whilst hearing the screaming voices of all within earshot, my stomach was inside out. No matter how many times Berry W. told me it was no big deal, it was a big fuckin' deal to me….

I have no idea what the hell was going through my head as I was undoing that tie-down strap, as I have done it a thousand times, but it is done, and that's that.

I went for a walk on the salt, and tried to collect myself, but to no avail. I decided then and there, there was no way I was going to be able to hang out at the 5-Ball pit area and have a good time, so there was no reason for me to hang around at all. I thumbed a ride back to the nugget, from a friend of Chris Carr, Bub's pilot. Good guy.

I packed up my glide, and hit the road. As you know, nothing clears the head like a long ride in no particular direction. A couple of hundred miles later, I checked my messages, and there you were, Nyla, and Hiway, telling me everything was cool and to come back. I called my wife and told her what happened, and she said, “Get your ass back there.” She and you were both right, but by then the weather had really taken a shitty turn, and riding back in to the eye of the storm, to face you guys, just didn't sound appealing.

I do wish I could have worked up the nerve to just come back to say sorry man, but I was long gone, both mentally, and physically. Anyway, I am sorry for any grief over the whole thing.

I hope your trip home went well and congrats on the award at the salt. Hopefully, your friend.

The Assalt Weapan was fine, built to withstand anything we shot at it. We waited for hours to make a pass. Jay Allen, of the Broken Spoke Fame ran 184 mph on his rigid FXR with a Wink Eller Fairing. He was shooting for over 200 mph with his stock 124-inch S&S engine. Laura Klock made her first pass with engine problems unsuccessfully, but her daughter made a Buell pass shooting for 100 mph, and she came close to setting a record.

Roger Goldammer fought EFI problems with tuning and slippery salt. He wasn't pleased. A weather front raced at us, and Dennis Manning broke his streamliner at the second mile marker, while 35 racers waited in line for the short course. He regrouped and headed back to the liner starting gate for another pass, but the inclement weather loomed large.

We finally made our first pass at 1:05 after tightening everything in the morning. Val never kicked that bastard out of 4th gear, but we still ran 152 mph. “I never felt 5th gear,” Val said but she shot a rooster tail of salt throughout the timed mile.

The rear tire was slipping badly, maybe 20 percent.

We were second to the last bike to run. Behind us the stealth silver flathead itched for a chance, but the weather denied it. We dashed back to the impound yard, checked in and had the engine sealed before returning to our pit area. We discovered a possible intake leak, light detonation on the rear plugs and one cracked weld on the chain guard.

Barry discovered a broken plastic feed line to a nitrous connection. These plastic lines are bullshit and we will run more substantial lines in the future. Berry reset the timing and Nyla made us sandwiches, then the rain and wind came. We lowered the pop-up tent and huddled under it. The wind whistled and the rain drove at us, but we kept working under the tent, hoping it would dry up and we could make another pass.

The rain and wind flurries tore the Chop N Grind tents down. We sheltered the Troll family, who rode out to Bonneville to get caught in this goddamn downpour. Teams tore down and escaped, but we stayed on, hoping for a weather break that never came. During a precipitation lull we loaded the Assalt Weapan in the back of the Fun Mover and hid from the driving rain and wind inside, until we could make a dash for the hotel. Another day down and only two remaining.