Bob T. on his latest acquisition, a 2003 FLH Standard.

Bob T. supplies Bikernet with antique motorcycle images on a regular basis. As it turned out I rode with him in the early '70s. Through Bob I met his Brother Chris T. who also contributes to Bikernet and produces stickers for Bikernet.com and Jesse James. But this story unfolded just the other day when we received an e-mail from Bob with the following quote, ” SHE`S BACK…I am still in shock. Nothing was changed, except the motor was rebuilt. And it started on the first kick. I have never been happier.”

Some 30 years ago he was laid off from Hughes Aircraft after his stint in the Marines, as a Small Arms instructor at Camp Pendleton. His pops hated bikes, but he was also ousted from Hughes at the same time–cut backs. “Dad bought a Der Wienersnitzel and was making a living, so he bought another one on Torrance Blvd. in Southern California,” Bob said. “He put me to work.” His dad got divorced, changed his ways, bought a 350 Yamaha and a sportscar. Both he despised during his family-man era. Bob thought his dad had lost it, but felt the freedom to jump for a new '71 Super Glide for $2,695 in December of '72. It was red and black with pin stripping. He just rode around town, green as hell.

Bob rode that Shovel in various stages for 30 years then sold it four years ago. He currently owns a blacked out Fatboy and a 2003 Standard. Along with decades as a contractor he also collected knives, and recently used Ebay to unload them so he could upgrade his house for his handicapped son. He had money in the bank and the construction process was nearly completed when the phone rang and a distant voice said, “My neighbor wants to buy the Shovel, but I told you I would give you first shot, if I ever decided to sell it.”

Bob was caught completely off guard. “I'll buy it,” he shouted into the receiver. “Hell, I'll give you an extra 100 bucks.” His day was shot. He stumbled around the house like a million buck lottery winner. He was in a daze, unsure he hadn't slipped into Twilight Zone mist. “It was so weird,” Bob muttered. His wall clock slowed to a snail's pace. A black pickup pulled into his Yucca Valley driveway and there it was. “He hadn't changed a thing,” Bob shook as he saw a motorcycle that had covered three decades and over 100,000 miles at his side.

“It was always your bike,” the previous owner said stepping out of the cab. Another old riding partner jumped out of the passenger seat laughing. “I couldn't wait to see your face,” he shouted.

The new owner rebuilt the engine after 100,000 miles. “It still ran when I sold it four years ago,” Bob said. “He showed me a piston, and it was nearly split in two.” The only other change was the new speedometer. “The tranny has never been rebuilt. It still has Andrews 1st and 2nd gears.”

Over thirty years the Superglide slid through a number of transitions. “I painted it black with purple flames,” Bob said, but then the bike was transformed into a true rigid chopper in all black.”

“I was working with Custom House in Hawthorne, California and they used my bike for a feature in SuperCycle in 1976.” They wanted a bobber style so they had Ron Tessensohn paint murals on the tanks. Bob still has those fatbobs.

“I ran the mural until the mid '80s. I ran across another set of fatbobs,” Bob added. “The guys at San Berdo Choppers paint them with the traditional flames it still has.” He rolled from narrow glide and highbars to springer with self-narrowed Z-bars. From up-sweeps and fishtails to handmade Sportster-like aluminum mufflers.

“It's still fuckin' loud,” Bob said. “Fishtails are insane. They'll break windows.” Bob couldn't work once he got his hands on his original rigid. He rode out to see Glen at Glen's Way Fast Bikes in 29 Palms, just to fuck with the performance builder.

“Ya got her back,” Glen shouted as he rolled up to the shop. It still has the Nez Phase 3 primary belt, and early PM brakes on the rear. “The front disc will hold me on a hill,” Bob commented, “but it won't stop my ass.”

He hasn't been able to stay off the Shovel or go to work since he bought her back five days ago. A motorcycle can do that to a man. It's more than a car, except maybe a race car. There's a bond, like the kindred spirit a gun fighter has for his six-shooter. There's a familiar feeling of security and comfort when he rolls through a corner, 'cause he knows how she'll react to every pothole in the road. Bob knows how many times he ducked certain death straddling that rigid frame. He knows every inch of that motorcycle, every click, snap or shift. He's comforted that his asphalt partner is home once again.

Photography from C.H.C.

With his nothing-was-left-untouched wizardry, Cyril Huze will go any length to make those few chopper parts look even more minimalist. In a competitive chopper world one of Cyril's signatures is detail. He takes the time, and whatever talent needed in addition to his own to form each component into some form of an art object.

Stray Kat is not only a celebration of the long bike, a perfect example of simplicity, but also a new rendition of the neo-retro chopper that we all love so much. Choppers are all about fun, light, agile fire breathing monsters. They're designed to be illegal, anti-social, anti-establishment asphalt taggers.

We're living through interesting times in the chopper industry. Choppers were sexy, anti-factory symbols of freedom and wild times. Now choppers have nearly become mainstream except for a few. Billy Lane, Jesse James, Eddie Trotta and Cyril Huze still know how to make a chopper lean and yet completely original. Original is the key word. It's a one-of-a-kind hand engraved bored and stroked .45 automatic that you can ride across the country or hang on the wall. Either way it's art.

To all the tricks and special effects used on this custom, add the thrill of some original Huze inspired by Von Dutch graphics & pinstripping, and you get one of the finest custom choppers on the road. Stray Kat is a tribute to one of the original rebels, chopper builders, pinstriping maniacs in the industry.

What could be better.

Designer & Builder:Cyril Huze Customs C.H.C.

General:
Fabrication: C.H.C.
Assembly: C.H.C.
Year/Make: 2003 Cyril Huze Special Construction
Chroming: Chromemasters.

Frame:
Builder: C.H.C.
Type: Stray Kat Chopper 250
Modifications: Tricked Out Neck, Internal Wiring Looms.
Rake: 42degree rake. 5″Out, 6″ Up.

Engine:
Year/Model: 2003 TP Eng.
Displacement: 121 CI
Compression: 10.4: 1
Pistons: TP Eng. Cases: TP Eng.
Polished Heads: TP.
Polished Cylinders: TP.
Polished Cam: Crane H4
Lifters: TP. Eng.
Oil Pump: TP.
Eng. Carb(s): S&S Da Vinci Polished.
Pushrods: TP.
Eng. Motor Mount: Huze Rocker Boxes: TP.
Eng. Pro-Vent Cam Cover: Huze.
Air Cleaner: Huze Velocity Stack
Pipes: Huze Bandit Exhaust, Black Coated.

Transmission:
Year 2003 TP eng. 5-speed, close ratio, polished & chrome.

Painter:
Design: Huze/Le Jeloux
Paint: Pachera (Body) Chris Cruz (Graphics)
Special paint: Metallic Silver-Red Kosmos- Black..

Accessories: 
Mirrors: Huze
Handlebars: Huze
Risers: Huze
Grips: Huze
Handlebar Controls: PM/Huze
Forward Controls: Ness/Huze
Clutch: Hydraulic Inside Frame
Coil Bracket: Huze
Front Fender: Huze With Stainless Trims.
Rear Fender: Huze With Stainless Trims.
Gas Tank: Huze With Stainless Trims.
Gas Cap: Pop Up Hot Match painted.
Oil Tank: NYC Painted
Headlight: Huze Painted
Turn signals: Huze L.E.D. Spikelights
Taillight: Huze Kool Rod Sidemount.
Open Belt: 3″ BDL, Meanstreet/Huze
Electrical: Pachera
Seat: Jeff Phipps (Tribal Stingray/Black Leather).

Forks:
Meanstreet Stiletto 12″ Over.Painted.

Wheels: Front:
Type: Huze Hot Rod. Painted. Size: 21″
Tire: Avon Venom MH80/90
Brake: 4 pistons HHI

Rear:
Type: Huze Hot Rod. Painted Size: 18 x 8.5″
Tire: Avon Venom 250/40HR18 Brake: 4-piston Drive Side PMFR. Painted.

Hey,

from Time to time we receive very positive letters regardingBikernet’s ability to assist in product marketing or eventpromotion. We finally decided to publish a few to giveprospective sponsors a taste of Bikernet’s clout in the industry.We’re here to help make your advertising dollars pay off.

Don’t hesitate to contact us, if we can assist with yourgrowth or reach in the market.

–K.R. Ball
Bandit@bikernet.com

From: Doc Robinson

Date: 10/2020

Subject: Bikernet Weekly News

Greetings Mr Ball,

Just read the weekly news: you always cover an impressively wide range of motorcycle related subjects.

Sometimes I wonder where you find it all.

Anyway I’m writing this to ask if you will please send me a copy of your book “Prize Possession” for reviewing in Heavy Duty.

Of course it will also give me a chance to plug Bikernet.com. 

DOC ROBINSON

HEAVY DUTY MAGAZINE

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 

From: Emily Bartels
Date: 10/17 
Subject: Bikernet Blog Featured in New Article

Bikernet is an online magazine that keeps you up-to-date on everything related to motorcycles.

A variety of writers contribute to the blog section, so you get a good mixture of voices and opinions in one handy location. They touch on a little of everything and post regularly.

Lisa Jorgenson is a regular contributor, and she shares personal opinions and thoughts, which is a nice mix along with the regular motorcycle news. There are also plenty of interesting pieces written by Ujjwal Dey that cover motorcycle-related topics.

Date: Jul 17, 2016

A LETTER FROM A BIKERNET CONTRIBUTOR– Under the pen name Scooter Tramp Scotty, I’ve been writing for several publications, both printed and online, for years. These true motorcycle drifter adventure stories offer a unique niche and have gained me a large following that continues to grow.Once a story has been published in print, I then pass it along to Bikernet, and eventually a few smaller publications as well.Although monthly now, I started in the mid ’90s by putting out only an occasional piece that generally saw print in Easyriders magazine—for there were no online mags back then. So later, when Keith asked me for material to be used in bikernet.com, I didn’t take this new-age computer crap too seriously. Real magazines, I figured, were something one could hold in his hand while seated on the john.

A LETTER FROM A BIKERNET SPONSOR–I just got off the phone with the regional Tucker Rocky rep. He has scheduled a meeting with Kyle and me, here in Lawrence, to establish and finalize our dealer relationship with TR/BC. I explained to him that we applied to TR over a year ago and were turned down. He revealed to me that the order to move forward with a dealership for K and G Cycles came from the highest levels of the company. After some conversation, he told me that you had written a recommendation on our behalf and that started the ball rolling. Apparently, through your efforts, K and G Cycles is now on yet another radar screen in the motorcycle industry.

The purpose of this message is to offer our personal thanks for all you have done for us. We value your friendship and partnership and we are growing, in no small part, as a result of your efforts and support. It appears that, very soon, Ken will have yet another press release announcing the Tucker Rocky/K and G partnership.

In conversation, I discovered that your recommendation triggered many of their top people to look at the web site and prepare many of the materials they anticipate we would need. This represents a major paradigm shift in the motorcycle industry where a wholesaler is setting up formal support for an internet-only dealership. We are proud to be a part of this advancement and we are grateful for your efforts to get us there.

A rough estimate suggests that, without overlap, TR will add about 75K – 80K parts to our catalog making us that much closer to the goal of being the Amazon.com of motorcycle parts.

Once again, please accept our sincere appreciation for all you have done.

–Regards, George and Kyle
George M. Marakas
www.kandgcycles.com

BIKERNET TESTIMONIAL–On another topic, can you answer me this? How many uniquevisitors per month you get. All my scans have you as the kingover any other site, and so on. There seems to be a traffic warbetween two. Whatever it is, you’re winning.

–//Scout
Brand Vandal | Director of Marketing, Creative and PR
BAKER Drivetrain

We average about 300,000 unique users a month, whovisit over 500,000 times, for one million impressions and 10million hits.

BIKERNET TESTIMONIAL–I’ve had a number of people call and e-mail us on whata great feature article it was.We have a stat sheet that we get weekly from the host of ourStreetwalker site and I always look at it to make sure the trafficcounts are where we want them to be. One of the criteria theyevaluate by is referring sites and to qualify as counter somebodyhasto come onto your site from a link on another site.

Bikernetisalways in the top four sites for referring hits to our site. It isn’tuncommon to have between 75 to a 100 “referrals” a monthfromBikernet. It’s a terrific tool for exposure and never fails to drivetraffic.I’m starting to sound like a paid endorsement so I’m outa here.Takecare and thanks for all your efforts.

–Terry
Boss
Street Walker Exhaust
Envy

From: Jeff Najar
President, Horsepower Marketing

On a side note, I’ve had the pleasure to work with D&D andprovide them with publicity services. They indicated that thework that I do increased their retail sales by 30% last year. Thecornerstone of my campaign was Bikernet. I work with thembecause they provide the biggest bang for the buck.

–Jeff Najar

From: Raymond C Wheeler
Subject: Vegas Trade Show
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006

Bandit,

At least a dozen people mentioned they had seen rotorson Bikernet. Tons of interest from a lot of people, including a300 unit inquiry, among many others. The show director cameto our booth to find out what a w8less rotor was, said he hadheard of w8less rotor on Bikernet and no less than 6 times in ahalf hour at the show, had to see it for himself.

Our Benmaxx engineers were blown away, 12 young men,under 35 with phds. All are interested in attending theCincinnati show. For three days the Benmaxx guys hadmeetings, deciding how to meet upcoming manufacturingobligations, seems the doors are opening .

Once again, thanks a million.

–Raycwheeler

From: Berry Wardlaw, president AccurateEngineering
Date: 12/06
Subject: Bikernet 5-Ball Racing Sponsorship

Out of all of the adds I have bought, shit that I have givenaway, Sturgis, Daytona, Discovery Channel, Speed Channel,donated crap, events, trade shows, free builds, magazines, etc.,NOTHING has paid off as far as publicity goes as the 5-BallPanhead. Man, this sucker is showing up everywhere and isactually bringing in a couple of sales, which I’m sure willincrease.

Damn, it is still true, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” Ican’t wait for the new bike. Yes, we are progressing on it but Iam also looking for some more sponsorship. This is getting tobe a rich engine, but worth it.

–Berry

From: Rick Krost, president U.S. Choppers
Date: 8/06
Subject: Bikernet Banners and support

KRB,

I just wanted to let you know; after paying for ads intraditional magazines, attending multiple tradeshows and eventsaround the country– no other source has yielded a betteraudience for our products and designs. We enjoy the Bikernetsubscribers’ enthusiasm for our sport and have yielded much interms of sales and new friendships as a result of ourparticipation on your website.

Thanks for all of your hard work and efforts in creating atruly unique website; we look forward to being with you on thatlong road ahead. Can’t wait for Bonneville 2007! It’s going tobe something special–no doubt. Just another reason for yourreaders to stay posted every week…………

–Rick Krost
U.S. Choppers
2039 S. Lyon St
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-546-4699
Appointments Only Please
http://www.uschopper.com/

From: BungKing.com
Date: 2/07
Subject: Bikernet news

Thanks again for the help, I’ve already seen some increasedsales from the exposure you gave me. I hope that we can worktogether more in the future.

Darin Morris

From: Chet Burozski, Sales and Marketing Director
Date: 2/22/07
Subject: Bikernet

In a day in age when you believe half of what you hear andall of what you know, you can understand my skepticism when Imet Randall Ball from Bikernet.com. He told me he liked ourproduct and would see what he could do. As I walked away Ithought “Yeah just like everybody else.”

To my surprise I called Randall, after returning toIndianapolis, and he told what info he would need. Within acouple days he had our company listed on his site and the nextday the phones started ringing. Not only does Bikernet work, butyou couldn’t be dealing with better people than the onesassociated with Randall’s company. They say what they meanand they mean what they say.

Thanks Randall andBikernet.com for not only helping “360 Brake” but for the fun Ihave personally had in dealing with you and yours in everyaspect of the industry.

Chet Burozski
Sales and Marketing Director
Baldwin Wilson Development Corp.
1531 E. Northfield Dr.
Brownsburg, IN 46112
W. (317)852-7867
C. (317)370-0920
F. (317)858-9287
www.360Brake.com

BRASS BALLS HEADS TO DAYTONA–We have been extremely busy and promoting the business getsshoved aside, not intentionally of course.

We WILL be in Daytona. We will have our Semi and 8 bikesand possibly a few rollers at Carl’s Speed Shop. His new place inOrmond Beach.

We have several bikes in the works right now. Trying to getready for Daytona. I will not have any photos until then. Maybe Ican get a few out prior to us leaving on the 27th.

I can tell you a few new items. We are partnering withPlatinum Machine Concepts to offer a machined billet “Invader”wheel package as an option on our bikes, as well as apartnership with 360 Brake, to offer their brakes as an optionsas well. We have also partnered with Rich Phillips Leather to offercustom seats as an option for our customers as well. All theseitems will be featured on our site and made available at the”build your bike” section of our site. We will have verycompetitive pricing on these for our customers.

We will have these options displayed on some of the bikeswe are taking to Daytona.

We are also unvaling our 2007 (better late than never) BrassBalls Chopper, in Daytona.

Our V-Twin TV feature segment is on our web site now, onthe home page, for people to watch (11 minutes)

By the way, big thanks to you for your great site. After ourTV program, over half of the people that searched us on theweb, came from going to your site first.

Keep up the good work.
–Dar Holdswort

BIKERNET CLICK-THROUGHS FOR BRASS BALLS– This shows the number of folks who clicked over to BrassBalls from various locations. As you will see, almost half of thefolks who visited Brass Balls last month came from Bikernet.That’s incredible.

BIKER BUILD-OFF TONIGHT–Don’t miss it.The first two shows did very well, numbers wise, which provesthat Bikernet.com works…. cause as you know the Network didamazingly little to promote BBO. So thanks, thanks, thanks.

The show this Thursday is a build-off between Chica ofChica Custom Cycles, Huntington Beach, CA and MichaelBarragan of Evil Spirit Engineering, Glendale, CA. Chica built ared and white homage to the sixties… laid back, long bars,banana seat, eight foot sissy bar… totally hand wrought. Hecalls his creation the “Mama-san Special” because it is built inhonor of his wife, Hitomi. On the ride she’s up behind him theentire length of the trip.

Barragan, an up and comer, is revered in Japan though justbecoming known in the U.S. He built a post industrial, futuristicghetto sled in his small but extremely intense shop behind hishouse. The two fabricators meet in Ft. Worth, Texas in thehistoric Stockyards casino where Hugh”Chopper” King dealsthem a hand which seals their fate and which sends them ontheir way to the 300,000 plus Lone Star Rally in Galveston.

–Hugh

Web sites are interesting in so many respects. One aspect isaccounting. We can and do receive monthly readership reports.We can’t mess with ’em. They’re handled through Web Trendsaccounting software. We print them out and read the results.That’s the extent of our involvement, except we can share theresults with you. But over the years we found problems in the Web Trends system.

When I started Bikernet.com I had no notion of traffic levels.We just worked hard and hoped readers responded. I trulybelieve our society was forced into a learning curve, which wasespecially taxing for motorcyclists. We needed to learn how andwhy the internet was of any use. I only came face to face with itthrough producing Bikernet. The more I worked on it, the more Idiscovered it’s uses and capabilities.

Hell, the more it grows the more abilities pop to thesurface.Below are some numbers that carry us from 2012 and 2013.Forsome years I averaged them to show our growth, and in thefuture I’ll update this report to show the direction Bikernet istaking with additional sites. Don’t hesitate to contact me, if you want additional info,have a question, or a suggestion to better our growth.

–Bandit

The number I track the most is the Unique User number.That’s the lowest number and the one representing the numberof individuals who come to Bikernet.com in a month. If theycome back that adds to the Visits number which Stat Counter doesn’t report but Google Analytics does track. At the end of themonth that info is erased and we start fresh.

This is an average of the monthly reporting:

Impressions: 191,000
Unique users: 110,700

I compare our unique user number to magazinecirculations as a bench mark. It’s not exactly accurate, since howcan I compare a unique user (or impression number) to a paidcirculation number? Then again, how can a give-away magcompare their print numbers to paid circulation numbers or mystats. It’s just a bench mark. If you know 80,000 folks buyEasyriders each month and 110,000 come to Bikernet,that’s not bad.

Since we launched the Bikernet Blog, Bikernet Baggers, and Bikernet Trikes, we have combined our numbers. This year will be an interesting one since our growth potential is so vast.

I discovered, through another motorcycle web site, thatad agencies look at the Impression number when figuring theCPM (cost per thousand readers). That makes our CPM around 3.2 bucks compared to 40 dollars for many magazines. If we use the Unique user number our costs is still just over 4 bucks per thousand readers. Plus, we can share info 24/7 and make changes weekly, even daily.  Since the economic downturn put a major dent in the motorcycle industry, we have never raised our rates.

This is an average of our number up to July of 2013.

Impressions: 161,739 
Unique Users: 104,291

It’s a damngood thought and direction, and I’m stickin’ with it.

Ride Forever

–Bandit

I just got off the phone with my new web master. He went to Alexi and did some checking. He host 200 web sites. He was blown away. Bikernet is listed in the top 100,000 web sites world wide. He said he’s worked with folks who spent millions and are not in the top 300,000 sites. He also works with a site that spends $5,000 a month with google enhancements and isn’t even close. Good times ahead.

We recently spoke to one of our advertisers who also advertises on a blog. “I get about the same number of click-throughs, but let’s check something,” he said. He studied his Google report. He discovered that the Bikernet readers stayed on his site twice as long as the blog, and Bikernet delivered half the bounce rate.

It’s all about finding what works for your company and sticking with it.

 

 

1. We can produce and publish articles on your products as quickly as you can supply us with parts or product information.

2. For as long as you are a sponsor, all your articles areavailable to the entire world of motorcycling – absolutely free.

3. We can correct or modify any article, at any time. It doesn't matter if the article was posted yesterday or two years ago.

4. No matter how many articles are posted or how many banners accompany each article, your fee is always the same.

5. We will never contact you with additional charges. You pay one low monthly fee for as long as your contract exists.

6. We will contact you monthly, to find out if you have newinformation or products that need to be featured.

7. There is never a space limitation, cutting or restricting the effectiveness of an article.

8. We publish several areas capable of spreading the wordabout your products: Your department, a tech area, project bike builds, bike features, Bikernet weekly news and our Sunday Post.

9. You will never find a competitor sharing space with one of your articles.

10. Unlike the uncertainty with most advertising, we will provide you with hit reports at least quarterly. You can also monitor our effectiveness through your own site.

11. Our bottom line is to drive customers to your website and educate riders about your products or services as often as possible.

Phone (310) 830-0630 Fax (310) 830-0530

WHAT’S INVOLVED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR:

We run your logo on our home page and create a department to house your editorial links.

Whenever your company is mentioned we run your banner for reader accessibility, whether in the news or in a tech feature.

We work with you, your marketing people or PR rep to publish the latest info on your company or products as often as you have material.

If you don’t have a contact we assign a freelance writer to contact you monthly to make sure your products or services are represented on Bikernet.

Bikernet is the largest internet connection to the World Wide Custom Motorcycle Market.

OUR 2008 HOLIDAY SPECIAL PRICES

6-Month Contract: $600 a month

1-Year Contract: $500 a month

2-Year Contract: $400 a month

After spending 30 Years in the Magazine business I was determined to avoid the pitfalls of print advertising and deliver all the benefits of the internet. Our CPM (cost per 1000 readers) is extremely low (4 bucks, against 40 dollars for some mags). That number is based on unique users of 250,000 a month with our one year contract price of $1000 a month (right now it’s even less with our current rates). I was told recently that web site CPM numbers are based on the number of impressions, which brings us down to $1 per thousand impressions a month (we receive 1 million impressions a month).

Once you sign on there’s never a new charge for a calendar, a special or an annual.

WHAT ELSE DO WE OFFER?

Your company has the opportunity to add pages to your presence on Bikernet on a weekly basis, yet still no additional costs. We want to spread the word about your company constantly without charging you more.

Take a look at many of our Sponsorship departments (on the home page). Some of them contain 100 pages or more of editorial about their products. Those pages are also archived in a free department on Bikernet.com. That’s 200 pages of product material for $500 a month. Can’t beat it.

Currently between 230,000 and 340,000 unique users come to Bikernet monthly, for over 500,000 visits, over one million impressions and over 10 million hits.

We realize that it takes far more than flashy ads to sell products. Let us know how we can help grow your business.

TO BECOME A SPONSOR:

It’s easy, give us a call.

Sign a contract, so we can go to work for you.

Send us a 150 by 150 Company Logo for the Home Page

Send us a 300 by 300 Logo for your department page.

Send us banner art that runs 500 wide and between 75 and 175 tall.

You are welcome to send several banner styles and change your banner whenever it suits you or your business needs.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us. We will supply Hit reports once a quarter, but you should monitor Bikernet traffic to your web site. Having a top notch, up-to-date, user friendly web site is critical to this partnership. Check the Bikernet Code. It will blow your mind.

Keith R. Ball
President
Bikernet.com
(310) 830-0630
Bandit@bikernet.com

Welcome to Bikernet Banner Advertising. It’s the easiest,cheapest way to reach out to Bikernet readers. The real key toadvertising is your return on your investment. We support youradvertising dollar in several areas. If you submit news, pressor product releases, we publish news columns weekly.With each release we will run your banner for immediate contactwith Bikernet readers.

We will also run your banner anytime you’reinvolved in editorials, tech articles or bike features. Here’s theskinny:

One Banner: $75 per month.

Three Banners: Run 3 Banners for $200 per month.

Discounts: Pay for the entire year up front andwe’ll add on a 10%discount.

Banner sizes: Banners are always 500 pixels wide,but youhave theflexibility to make your banner 75 to 150 pixels tall.

Banner Art: If you need Banner art created we willhappily take care of itfor a flat fee of $150.

That’s it, simple, inexpensive and effective. Contact me atthefollowing e-mail address or phone number:

Here is a vast selection of banners from our staff of famous
artists and photographers. Feel free to use these on your site to
promote Bikernet or in exchange for your links on our site. 

The Bikernet logo/banner above was created by a
young upcoming artist, George Fleming. He’s very talented and
currently attending college in Southern California.

  

Our Bonneville racing logo by Chris Kallas.

 

  

Just a break from logos, Bob T. had a hand in our billboard.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

MOTORCYCLE THEFTS FALLMotorcycle thefts in the US fell by 13% to 56,093 last year from 64,492 in 2008, the biggest drop since 2007 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau in an April 13th statement. Honda was the most stolen brand accounting for 24% of the thefts, followed by Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson, said the NICB citing National Crime Information Center data.

The recession prompted lower bike sales and a decrease in production, pushing motorcycle thefts down for a third consecutive year. Sales of new bikes fell 43% in 2009 from the year-earlier period, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. Likewise, the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association reported a 47.4% decrease in motorcycle production last year.

Recovery rates have declined along with thefts, with only 30% of the stolen bikes recovered in 2009, compared with 41% in 2006, NICB data show.

The top five states for motorcycle theft were warm-weather ones: California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia, together accounting for 39% of the total.

It should be no surprise that the summer months of July (6,319); August (6,079); and June (5,672) saw the most theft activity while the fewest thefts were recorded during the winter months of December (2,927); February (3,100); and January (3,570).

The best way to prevent theft is to keep your motorcycle out of sight or covered up and secured to an immovable object with a good through-the-frame lock in addition to the steering lock.

MAINE REQUIRES MOTORCYCLES TO DISPLAY INSPECTION STICKERS–

Maine Governor John Baldacci on April 9, 2010 signed LD 1675 into law, requiring the state’s 50,000 registered motorcycles to carry inspection stickers that are “completely and clearly visible from the rear” starting in 2012.

A bill that started in the state legislature as a broadly worded bill to quiet noisy motorcycles evolved into a measure requiring riders to display inspection stickers when Maine’s Transportation Committee concluded that 38% of Maine motorcycles aren’t inspected, noting faulty and noisy motorcycle mufflers would fail annual inspections.

The bill also sets up a task force to explore other methods of reducing motorcycle noise, including sound testing, and report to the Transportation Committee by January 15, 2011.

LD1675 passed the Maine House by a vote of 104-33 on March 22. The Senate passed it April 5, with no tally released.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY BILL PASSES IN OKLAHOMA

“Gunner’s Bill” has been signed into law by Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, providing for the state?s first comprehensive motorcycle safety program.

HB 2264, authored by state Rep. Mike Christian and state Sen. Steve Russell, allows the state to add a $3 fee, designated for motorcycle safety and education, to the existing cost of registering a motorcycle. It also establishes a revolving fund into which the money is to be deposited.

Rep. Christian said the legislative action was necessary because motorcycle registrations continue to increase in Oklahoma; therefore, without training and prevention efforts, vehicle crashes involving motorcycles are likely to increase. According to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, there were 115,381 registered motorcyclists in the state in 2008, a 14.3% increase over 2007. Motorcycle fatalities increased 17.6% during the same period, and injuries increased 21.4%.

HB 2264 is known as “Gunner’s Bill” in honor of Robert “Gunner” Catcher, a motorcyclist who died after being struck by a pickup in 2009. The driver of the truck said he did not see Gunner.

?I heartily salute each and every one of ABATE of Oklahoma’s and the OK Confederation of Clubs volunteer officers and members, and look forward to our continued success working together in the spirit of unity to make Oklahoma the best state in which to ride,? said Tiger Mike Revere of ABATE of OK and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM).

Also signed into law was SB 1670 – a bill that changes the makeup of the Oklahoma Motorcycle Safety Advisory Committee. ?So, not only will we generate about $400,000 each year but we will also have a substantial say in how it is spent,? commented John Pierce, ABATE Legislative Coordinator.

WYOMING BIKERS WORK WITH CITY TO PROMOTE MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS

The Casper City Council voted unanimously to pay for motorcycle-safety billboards in the coming months, with Wyoming Central ABATE picking up the campaign halfway through the riding season. The council approved $5,400 in grant money to pay for four billboards from April through July, when Wyoming Central ABATE would begin paying for the billboards with its own message to run through October.

The push for motorcycle awareness stems from two high-profile accidents involving motorcyclists last summer, including an ABATE member who was killed by a left-turning Hummer. The accidents prompted Wyoming Central ABATE to meet with city officials and hash out a plan to increase awareness of motorcycles among drivers.

The Casper Police Department applied for grant money from the Wyoming Department of Transportation to be used on a ?campaign targeting the reduction of the number and severity of motorcycle crashes in the Casper area,? according to a city memo.

MICHIGAN HELMET LAW REPEAL REPEAT?

Once again, Michigan legislators are moving to repeal the state?s 40 year old mandatory helmet law, but their governor threatens veto action.

In late March, the House voted 63 to 46 to approve an amendment to the current Michigan Helmet Law which would allow motorcycle riders 21 years old and older to operate their motorcycle without a helmet as long as they carry $20,000 or more in insurance.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. If the Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate both approve as they have in the past, the bill would again go to the governor for her signature or veto. Proposals to eliminate or ease the law were passed by the House and Senate in 2005/2006 and 2007/2008, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed both measures.

ABATE of Michigan and the Michigan Confederation of Clubs continues to hold sway in the Legislature using arguments that include personal freedom and economic impact. The Democratic governor leaves office next year and is not seeking reelection.

MOTORCYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL SURVEYS ROAD CONDITIONS

The Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) to the Federal Highway Administration has made recommendations to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and his predecessors on various topics, including 1) Barrier design; (2) Road design, construction, and maintenance practices; and (3) The architecture and implementation of Intelligent Transportation System technologies.

Of special significance was the creation and approval of the yearly Motorcyclist Road Conditions Survey, which can be accessed at http://tinyurl.com/ykbqsr6.

The purpose of the survey is to better communicate to the MAC, road construction engineers, and transportation safety officials the specific needs of motorcyclists that should be considered when developing new roadways or altering existing routes.

The MAC-FHWA coordinates and advises the Secretary of the Department of Transportation on infrastructure issues of concern to motorcycle riders, and is comprised of ten members of the motorcycling community with professional expertise in national motorcyclist safety advocacy. James ?Doc? Reichenbach II, State President of ABATE of Florida and Chairman of the Board of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) serves on the MAC as one of two members representing state motorcyclists? organizations.

ANTILOCK BRAKES MAKE MOTORCYCLES SAFER

With motorcycle ownership skyrocketing from 4.3 million to 10.4 million over the past decade, and a corresponding increase in rider deaths and injuries, two new studies have found that equipping motorcycles with antilock brakes makes them much safer.

The studies, one by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the other by the Highway Loss Data Institute, found that bikes with antilock brakes are involved in 37% fewer fatal accidents per 10,000 registered vehicles and reported 22% fewer accident damage claims per insured vehicle year.

Stopping a motorcycle is trickier than stopping a car. For one thing, the front and rear wheels typically have separate brake controls. In an emergency, a rider faces a split-second choice to either brake hard, which can lock the wheels and cause an overturn, or hold back on braking and risk running into the emergency. This is when antilock brakes can help by reducing brake pressure when they detect impending lockup and then increasing the pressure again when traction is restored. Brake pressure is evaluated multiple times per second, so riders may brake fully without fear of locking up.

Until lately, such crash avoidance technology as antilock brakes has primarily been available only on larger, more expensive motorcycles, but they are now available on 60 new models.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering whether or not antilock brakes should be mandatory on motorcycles.

OUTLAW BIKER 101

Law enforcement officers from across the country gather each year at a heavily guarded secret location for annual training on ?combating biker gangs?:

As quoted directly from promotional material for the course: ?Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigations: From the Inside – Combating Biker Gangs, from the International Association of Undercover Officers: A five day (36 hour) training program for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, corrections personnel and criminal analysts addressing the problems and pitfalls of investigations of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. The instructors, have managed, supervised or directly participated in investigations of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs throughout the United States. The investigative techniques they used will be presented. Also, the many pitfalls and mistakes they made will be graphically demonstrated. Due to the sensitive nature of the training program and threats of physical harm to some of the speakers, the exact location of the training program will only be revealed to those who register. Special security will be maintained and only certified law enforcement officers with proper identification will be admitted.?

As one of America?s foremost authorities on biker discrimination, Minnesota Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) attorney Steven O?Brien, who also serves as legal counsel to the Confederation of Clubs of Minnesota and ABATE of Minnesota, applied for the course last year but was denied admittance with the written admonishment that he would be better suited to attend the NCOM Convention. O?Brien was instrumental in getting the nation?s first and only biker anti-discrimination law on the books in Minnesota, and then was successful in getting the new law upheld by the courts when an ABATE member was denied service at a bar.

For like-minded bikers concerned with preserving Freedom of the Road, the Silver 25th Annual NCOM Convention will be held Mother?s Day weekend, May 6-9, 2010 at the Orlando Airport Marriott, 7499 Augusta National Dr., Orlando, Florida. Reserve your place in history now by calling the National Coalition of Motorcyclists at (800) 525-5355 or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com. A special NCOM room rate is available by calling the Marriott hotel at (800) 380-6751.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: ?The story of America’s quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots.?
–Randy Vader, American author/composer