Proportion _ Take a moment to study the size and proportion of our Hades 1 Pure. Compare it to the others. We’ve created a First Principle design by starting from the ground up with the technology required to create the best battery-electric vehicle. We’ve optimized the packaging. The proportion that exists on the others is a carry-over from bloated internal combustion packaging. There is no need for it in a world of electric. We have the opportunity to create a new Golden Age proportion, and we are determined to lead the way. Us vs. Them _ Our 19″ wheels, 8″ ground clearance, low 28″ seat height, and compact 25″ of core girth, compared to their 17″ wheels, 5″-6″ ground clearance, 30″+ seat height, and 36″+ core girth highlights the proportional differences between their machines and ours. Hades 1 Pure _ Represents the fresh start in motorcycle design opportunities that we have all been waiting for, and it begins with proportion! Order Hades 1 Pure for 1,500.00 USD down. Production will begin in late-Spring 2020. Delivery will be first-come, first-serve based on order date, so be quick in order to secure your position! ORDER NOW https://www.curtissmotorcycles.com/ownership

Don’t miss the cool 5-Ball Racing Leather Collection or a book to keep you entertained.

Don’t miss the deals at the shop for the Holidays. Everything shipped priority, 2-Day delivery.—Bandit

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW

Hey,

Knowledge, understanding, the Way, and technology: They are all flying at us fast. Hell, I don’t know where to start. Awhile back I mentioned business owners and their constant challenges, from the government, technology, competition and the market. Those challenges are more daunting than ever before and more beneficial in many respects.

Personal life is also being bombarded with new and beneficial challenges. I was hit with a hot handful of thought-provoking opportunities and philosophies this week.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WEEKLY NEWS

Join the Cantina today

CLICK AND JOIN BANDIT’S CANTINA—It’s where we have stashed 24 years of content, bike features, Bonneville Racing Builds, wild stories and girlfriends. –Bandit

by Elena Gorgan from https://www.autoevolution.com/

We know, electric bikes are a dime a dozen these days, as are fat-tire bicycles. With the ongoing conversation on the climate crisis and the need for urgent action to reduce exhaust emissions, various alternative, greener mobility solutions have sprung. E-bikes are among the most popular, and the offer is so varied anyone can find something to like, depending on budget and preferences.

Italian maker Moto Parilla knows that too: with e-bikes, you really have to think outside the box in order to get people to notice you. So, it’s trying to carve a separate niche of the market for itself, offering a pedal-assist bicycle that works just as well in the city as it does on the most difficult trail, but which was designed with the latter in mind.

Ultra Carbon represents an improvement over the Carbon range from Moto Parilla: it’s powerful and reliable, designed to be taken out on the bumpiest road, but it’s also fully customizable. Moto Parilla even goes as far as to call it a work of art because it will be hand-building each bike according to its new owner’s specifications, with every detail hand-finished.

Based on photos alone, you have to admit: the Ultra Carbon packs a punch. It’s sturdy enough to fool the untrained eye into mistaking it for a motorcycle, but it’s elegant at the same time.

“Starting from the Carbon line, the Ultra goes beyond to highlight the concept of uniqueness,” the maker says. “Every Ultra is designed around the biometrics of the rider. The aluminum frame is obtained by a single aluminum block. As a sculptor, the numerical control machine removes the aluminum excess to find aggressive shapes and lines, to indulge the engine power, the speediness and the personality as well.”

What this actually means is that there are no two Ultra Carbons alike and each design is patented before it’s shipped to the new owner. The base model features a carbon and CNC aluminum frame, front fork and rear suspension, shock absorbers, LED light package and Bluetooth connectivity. The leather seat is handmade and, much like the color of the bike, can be made to the owner’s liking.

The extra-large handlebar is fitted with Velo grips for maximum control and stability. The 8-caliper Alligator disk brakes are custom-made and can be found on this bike only, Moto Parilla says. The tires are Vee Tyre Apache and will easily help you conquer even the most difficult terrain, no matter how bumpy or steep.

Each Ultra Carbon bike weighs around 112 pounds and comes with a 3000W brushless engine powered by a 72V lithium-ion battery churning out 148 ft-lb of torque and a maximum speed of more than 50 mph. Moto Parilla doesn’t say anything about range for a single charge.

The Ultra Carbon is a limited-edition product, with prices starting at $7,300 and going up to $10,000+. With so much focus on how it’s a “work of art” that will do what few other mountain bikes are able to do, it couldn’t have been cheap. For this kind of money (which is nothing to scoff at, we agree), Moto Parilla promises an unparalleled biking experience, thanks to a product whose design combines attention to detail and performance in equal measure.

“Dream it. Bike it. Love it,” Moto Parilla says of its new, limited-edition electric bike. “The Ultra Carbon is a totally customized e-bike working in synergy with his rider. Every detail has been studied to find the rider uniqueness in order to merge the souls.”

Whether said merger and / or the promise of an electric bike that truly stands out is worth so much money, well, that’s entirely up to you.

Join us this weekend for the “Third Sunday Ride”

This month, we’re heading north up the PCH to…

Neptunes Net
42505 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Malibu, CA 90265

Vintage bikes encouraged but all years, makes, and models are welcome!

We would like to stress that this is a safe and fun ride.
Some guidelines for the ride:

– We leave at 11am sharp!
– Be gassed up and ready to go.
– Do not pass our Road Captains. They are there to lead and keep everyone together.
– No lane splitting in large rides.
– Keep your lines clean & eyes open!

See You There!

Make sure to follow us on Facebook & Instagram, or go to venicevintage.com for the latest updates an events calendar.

Cheers,
-VVMC – Venice Vintage Motorcycle Club

DATE:

Sunday, December 15th, 2019

TIME:

10:00am – Meet
11:00am – Kickstands up!

WHERE:    
1625 Abbot Kinney Blvd,
Venice, CA, 90291

Hey,

Knowledge, understanding, the Way, and technology: They are all flying at us fast. Hell, I don’t know where to start. Awhile back I mentioned business owners and their constant challenges, from the government, technology, competition and the market. Those challenges are more daunting than ever before and more beneficial in many respects.

Personal life is also being bombarded with new and beneficial challenges. I was hit with a hot handful of thought-provoking opportunities and philosophies this week.

I spoke to David Eckard, the new boss of Saddlemen Seats. He’s actually been around for a long time, but Tom Seymour recently retired, and Dave has embraced new technologies, the Drag Specialties group and Saddlemen is kicking ass.

I also started to watch a lecture series on Confucius teaching about 2500 years ago. Somehow what I learned this week was connected. I’ll touch on one or two basics, then cover more in the ending.

When I asked Dave what mattered most to the massive Saddlemen seat growth he immediately said, “Everything and doing everything well.” Those are not his exact words and actually he was more strident.

Speaking of doing the right thing, last night after midnight on a dark harbor street, my grandson handed me a package from the bed of his pickup and sped away. It was the new Paughco Springer for my ’69 Panhead. I stood on the street corner in my pajamas anxious to receive the shit and tear open the packing. Nothing but quality, when it comes to Paughco Springers. We will report on the install shortly. Let’s hit the news:

The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Most recently the Smoke Out and Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.

MOTORCYCLING HISTORY FROM THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM–1928 Harley-Davidson Board Track Racer

This board track racer from the end of the era makes use of Harley’s best street engine’s “Two-Cam” bottom end, but used better breathing overhead valve racing cylinder heads and a racing chassis. With Harley’s actual production racers carrying a high price tag and being tricky to maintain, the production-based machine was a good alternative.

The engine in a higher state of tune, a “production racer” of sorts, the H in JDH signals high performance. With the “two cam” set up the JDH bottom end served well as a basis for racing as well. Note there is no exhaust system; two exhaust ports in each head expel exhaust unrestricted. In this era the value of exhaust…

Happy New Year from A.B.A.T.E. of Louisiana! — On March 9, 2020, Louisiana Legislation begins. We are prepared for yet another successful legislative year. Bikers and supporters will converge on the Capitol steps dressed in our High Viz yellow “Vote Like A Biker” shirts as we have done for the last several years. We are ready to meet and greet our veteran and newly elected officials. Our 2020 Legislative Agenda has been set and we will be proposing.

1) All Road Users Act
2) Dead-Red
3) Support Cell phone hands free usage.

I am proud to announce that we have 100% (6/6) of our Federal delegation signed on as co-sponsors to support H. Res 255.

The State Board has unanimously approved the donation and support of the CQ Engage State module, and we look forward to working closely with the MRF to make this program successful.

It is my honor to have been nominated and elected to serve 2 more years as the ABATE of Louisiana State President.

— Respectfully, BRICK

RETIREMENT WISDOM– Getting Old

I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now.

Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.

I decided to stop calling the bathroom the “John” and renamed it the “Jim”. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.

Old age is coming at a really bad time.

When I was a child I thought “Nap Time” was a punishment. Now, as a grownup, it feels like a small vacation.

The biggest lie I tell myself is, ”I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.”

I don’t have gray hair; I have “wisdom highlights”! I’m just very wise.

If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would’ve put them on my knees.

Last year, I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet.

Why do I have to press one for English when you’re just going to transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway?

Of course, I talk to myself. Sometimes I need expert advice.

Actually, I’m not complaining because I am a Senager. (Senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 60 years later. I don’t have to go to school or work. I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad. I don’t have a curfew. I have a driver’s license and my own car. The people I hang around with are not scared of getting pregnant. And I don’t have acne.

Life is great!!!

–from Joe Smith

Harley-Davidson’s Electric Motorcycle, LiveWire, Available for Rent on Twisted Road–The leading online-motorcycle sharing community offers the LiveWire in San Francisco and Los Angeles

Twisted Road, the leading rental service for privately-owned motorcycles in the U.S, today announced they are now offering two Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles. With more than 2,300 motorcycles for short- or long-term rental, Twisted Road has many classics while others– like Harley-Davidson’s new LiveWire electric motorcycle– are cutting edge.

These are fantastic additions to our fleet,” said Austin Rothbard, Founder and CEO, Twisted Road. “The owner in the L.A. area is offering the LiveWire for rent exclusively through us, and will even arrange for airport pick up and drop off.”

Twisted Road is unique among motorcycle-sharing services in having a flat, per day charge for all bikes, set by the owner based on how popular or rare the motorcycle is. The LiveWire motorcycles will rent for about $199.00 per day. Like all other Twisted Road bikes, these bikes won’t have mileage restrictions.

“It’s a great way to try out a bike you’ve never ridden before,” said Rothbard, “whether it’s a 21st century electric bike like the LiveWire, that’s perfect for getting around the city, or a vintage beauty like the 1958 BMW R50.”

Twisted Road verifies all potential renters for driver safety, experience, and qualifications. It also offers the best owner insurance protection in the industry, with up to $100,000 of free liability protection and up to $25,000 of damage protection. Owners may choose to increase that liability up to $1 million. After each ride, the rider and owner rate each other, while the rider rates the bike, too. To date 97% of these ratings have been five-star.

Rothbard continued, “We are building the most trusted motorcycle community around–a place for riders to connect with one another over their favorite passion. Riding.”

For more information on Twisted Road and to see all the bikes listed, please visit: www.twistedroad.com

What U.S. Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards (if any) Should Be – Results of an NMA Online Survey, Part 1: NMA E-Newsletter #569

Throughout November, we posted an online survey designed to better understand the sentiment of NMA supporters toward government-imposed CAFE standards. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations established in 2012 mandated automakers to meet a fleetwide average of 54.5 miles per gallon by the vehicle model year 2025. That is quite a leap forward considering the 2019 criteria are 42.5 mpg for passenger cars and 30 mpg for light-duty trucks, including SUVs.

The US Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency caused a stir last year when the agencies proposed freezing the fleet standard at 37.0 mpg, the 2021 target, for the foreseeable future. Several states, led by California, are challenging that proposal.

The NMA survey included the opportunity for respondents to share their opinions in addition to answering the prepared questions. We will share many of those opinions in next week’s newsletter and will post many more on a special section of the Motorists.org site. First, though, here are the overall results of the questionnaire:

Although the NMA online survey on U.S. fuel economy standards is now closed, feel free to add your thoughts about government CAFE standards by emailing us at nma@motorists.org with the subject line “CAFE Standards.” Based on responses to the November survey, this is a topic of great interest to NMA readership, and therefore to us. Your feedback is an important component to the NMA’s position on the fuel economy issue.

–NMA

This is a discussion that need further review. I would like to be educated more before I could respectfully answer a survey. I come from the motorcycle industry. I have seen what government requirements have done to our motorcycles and the ability of the enthusiast to work on their bikes.

I would like to know what the auto industry says about the standards and where they should go or not. What’s the sweet spot?

I would like to know if SEMA has report on this issue? Are there other modified auto organizations that step up on these issues?

–Bandit

BIKERNET BOOK OF THE WEEK CLUB The Speed Kings— A new book about motorcycle boardtrack racing!

The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing, By Don Emde
Hardbound / 372 Pages / 600 Illustrations / 40 chapters plus Prologue and Epilogue
4-color Sepia Tone Throughout / Printed in the United States of America
Available from EmdeBooks.com / ISBN: 978-0-9972720-1-7

Don Emde, a former Daytona 200 winner and Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee, has announced his newly-released book: The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing. The richly illustrated, 372-page hardbound book tells the story of the first generation of motorcycle boardtrack racing in the early-1900s, when daring riders sped at 90+ mph around ¼-mile circular motordromes banked at 60-degrees.

The spectacle of motordrome racing became contagious and the public couldn’t get enough, filling wooden stadiums in some cities three nights a week, sometimes at their own peril. The Speed Kings follows the life and times of Jake DeRosier, Charles “Fearless” Balke, Eddie Hasha and others who became national sports heroes, featured regularly on the front pages of daily newspapers from coast to coast. The news was not always good, however, and “Murderdromes” became part of America’s vocabulary, leading to the demise of the sport.

Emde, whose previous books include a history of the Daytona 200 and Cannon Ball Baker’s transcontinental ride of 1914, has been collecting motorcycle history materials for over 50 years.

In addition to his large collection of historic scrapbooks and photographs—many not seen in 100 years—he made use of over 1,000 magazines with first generation information about boardtrack racing. Added to that were numerous newspapers, race programs, books and more. These publications yielded more than 6,000 pages that he scanned into a chronological database and used as a guide throughout the project.

The Speed Kings. The Rise and Fall of Motordrome Racing provides more details about motordrome racing than any previous publication. Available now direct from EmdeBooks.com. Contact Don Emde at don@emdebooks.com for more information.

Book: $75.00 + applicable sales tax and postage.

Book with Bonus Package: $90.00 + applicable sales tax and postage. Book signed by the author, plus three additional reproductions of historic items featured in the book.

VETERANS NEWS FROM THE VA–Fisher House serves as home away from home for Veterans, military families
Providing free lodging, transportation, scholarships and more

Stay at Fisher House
A Fisher House is “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. The homes are normally located within walking distance of the treatment facility or have transportation available. There are 86 Fisher Houses located on 25 military installations and 37 VA medical centers. Many more houses are under construction or in design. These homes offer free, temporary lodging to military and Veterans’ families, allowing them to be close to their loved one during a medical crisis. It also allows them to focus on what’s important—the healing process. Find and contact your Fisher House here.

Hero Miles

Hotels for Heroes
Service members receiving medical treatment and their families or close friends may receive a free hotel room through the Hotels for Heroes program. This option is available if they are not eligible for reimbursement from the government. Participating hotel groups include Best Western, Choice Hotels, Hilton, La Quinta Inns and Suites, Marriott and Wyndham.

The Fisher House Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses, and children of fallen and disabled Veterans.

How you can help
There are many ways to get involved with the Fisher House Foundation. You can get involved as a volunteer or participate in events. You can also make donations of frequent flyer miles, hotel points and more.

The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of the VA.

Written and designed by Deanna Cannon, Jewel Luckow and Michaela Yesis, student interns working with VA’s Digital Media Engagement team.

CLICK AND JOIN BANDIT’S CANTINA—It’s where we have stashed 24 years of content, bike features, Bonneville Racing Builds, wild stories and girlfriends. –Bandit

[page break]

DAYROLL ORDER–I traded my old Sportster drag bike for this basket case and put together a 1983 Wide Glide.

I am looking forward to strapping the day roll on. The little things you miss after being on a bagger for a while.

–Robert Warren

The U.N. Is Holding Its 25th Climate Conference — Please Don’t Let There Be A 26th

I&I Editorial

Has there ever been a bigger assembly of scolds and nattering nabobs of nonsense than those gathered at the United Nations Conference Of The Parties 25 this week in Madrid? Spare us another of these hootenannies of insufferable elitism.

Before the party even started, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres showed up in Spain to tell us “the point of no return is no longer over the horizon,” and “is in sight and hurtling toward us.”

How long have we been hearing this? Prince Charles has been predicting imminent doomsday for more than a decade, as has Al Gore. Before the conference began, Vice was trying to convince the world that “The Collapse of Civilization May Have Already Begun,” while Extinction Rebellion has been barking madly that “billions will die” and “life on Earth is dying” because of man’s use of fossil fuels.

Despite decades of warnings that the end “is in sight,” as the Competitive Enterprise Institute recently assured us, “none of the apocalyptic predictions” of environmental disaster “with due dates as of today have come true.”

As the conference’s nominal host, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took up the cudgel because there can be no meeting of the climate clan without an othering of the “deniers.” “Luckily,” said Sánchez, “only a handful of fanatics deny the evidence.” What evidence would that be, Sr. Prime Minister?

Of course, he can’t point to any evidence, because there is none.

A warming planet? Nothing in the record before 1979, when satellites began measuring thermal emissions in the atmosphere, is reliable. The satellite data show some warming, but nothing outside natural variations.

Receding glaciers and melting ice? “Polar ice sheets have not declined at all since NASA satellite instruments began precisely measuring them 35 years ago,” says James Taylor, who has written extensively about climate over the years. Meanwhile, “the Antarctic Ice Sheet has been growing at a steady and substantial pace ever since NASA satellites first began measuring the Antarctic ice sheet in 1979.” So, about those glaciers? The global retreat that the alarmists can’t stop talking about is not new. It began before the Civil War was fought, “at the end of the Little Ice Age.”

Increasing sea level? The oceans have been rising for 10,000 years. NASA says the rate of increase has been about 3.3 millimeters a year, not quite 0.13 of inch, for decades. Hardly cause for alarm.

More hurricanes? We repeat ourselves: “Global major hurricane frequency has been trending downward since 1980, while cyclone energy is roughly the same as it was in 1972.”

Growing wildfires? The media have been fixated on California’s fires, so let’s look there. And what do we find? Cal Fire, a government agency, has compiled data which show a steep drop-off in acres burned since 2008. The claim goes up in smoke.

It’s obvious the alarmists will say anything to further their agenda. Their evidence is nothing more than fevered imaginations and a perverted hope for catastrophe. But it must be evidence because they say it is.

Despite their assurances of having gained a superior knowledge, the alarmists cannot draw a straight line from the emissions of carbon dioxide from combusted fossil fuels to whatever it is they’re saying this week is a consequence of man-made global warming. If they could, they would have already done so. Instead, they rely on assumptions, a correlation of unreliable data, and incessant screeching.

By the way, did we mention that Sanchez is an open socialist? He’s member of the Spanish Workers’ Socialist Party, a fact that brings us around to the real agenda behind the global warming alarmists shock campaign: stepping on capitalism and seizing the world economy.

We’ve listed examples of the climate alarmists acknowledging their hidden agenda before, but just recently, we realized we missed one. More than 20 years ago, when global warming hysterics were beginning to rage, then Canadian Minister of the Environment Christine Stewart told the Calgary Herald that “No matter if the science of global warming is all phony … climate change [provides] the greatest opportunity to bring about justice and equality in the world.”

The COP25 attendees, smug, insulting, and spectacularly dishonest, are not meeting to save us from ourselves. They’ll be there through Dec. 13 preening, posing, and hectoring, and scheming a path to political domination. Anyone who doubts they’re coming after the free economies of the West needs to ask themselves one question: Why are the proposed climate solutions exactly the same policies the political left would enact even without carbon dioxide playing the role of villain?

It’s not a coincidence. It’s a plan.

— Written by J. Frank Bullitt
Issues and Insights

QUICK, OPEN THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY-– A penguin takes his car to the shop and the mechanic says it’ll take about an hour for him to check it. While he waits, the penguin goes to an ice cream shop and orders a big sundae to pass the time.

The penguin isn’t the neatest eater, and he ends up covered in melted ice cream. When he returns to the shop, the mechanic takes one look at him and says, “Looks like you blew a seal.”

“No,” the penguin insists, “it’s just ice cream.”

–from Rogue
Senior Librarian
Bandit’s Cantina™

LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK– 2017 Harley-Davidson FLHRXS – Road King Special for $19,995.00

See it here: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=6079665

2017 FLHRXS Road King Special Miwaukee-8 107-inches of power

The introduction of the original Road King in 1994 was a game changer for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. One might even successfully argue that it set the stage for the bagger craze that rages until this day.

While the powerplant for this model has seen a broad spectrum of engine designs and displacements during the last two decades (Evo 80?, Twin Cam 80?, 88?, 96? and 103?), the most exciting development has to be the new Milwaukee-8 107, the first completely new Big Twin engine by Harley since the release of the 1999 Twin Cam.

The 2017 Harley-Davidson Road King Special, a darker, more sinister take on the classic, 1950s-inspired standard Road King. The stretched saddlebags do lend a longer and lower look, but to further accentuate the lowness, the Road King Special is actually lowered slightly, by use of the same “low-profile? rear suspension used on Street Glide Special and Road Glide Special.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT:

Road Kings ride so nice and this one is blacked out beautiful! Vivid Black paint and raised tank logos is pristine and like new. Vivid Black strap with a carbon fiber face. Vivid Black 20″ apes. Black Performance Machine grips. Vivid Black nacelle, LED headlamp, complete fork, pointed axle caps on cast aluminum black turbine wheels.

Vivid Black engine covers including 107 air cleaner, cam and horn with H-D logos. ABS anti-lock braking system and TBR black exhaust. Vivid Black engine guard with black lack quick detachable backrest and hardware in place to add luggage rack. Vivid Black LED stop / turn / tail lighting with the fender LED tri-line. A beautiful bike with the latest in 107 Milwaukee 8 muscle!

This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 100 point safety and mechanical inspection. Whether your looking to commute to work, ride the coast or take that dream vacation, this bike is ready to go!!!

EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!

OUR FAVORITES FROM THE DAVID UHL HOLIDAY PROMOTION–
We’ve wrapped up our show schedule for the year. Great seeing everyone this year! We also met a lot of new friends along the way, for which we are very grateful.

Now, it’s time for some holiday fun!

In the past, we’ve offered a holiday promotion with the display pieces we’ve used throughout the year at discounted prices. This year, we’re taking that concept to a whole new level.

We are happy to announce “The 12 Days of Uhlness”!

This email begins a 12-day holiday journey into some fantastic pricing on David Uhl artwork. The pieces offered are a combination of our gently-used, framed display pieces (most of which are in great shape) and some of David’s earliest works you may have never seen before. Some are offered on canvas, some on paper. Some framed, some unframed. They are ALL hand-signed by David, numbered and will come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The fun part – – these are being offered in a 24-hour flash sale each day for the next 12 days. You will only have 24 hours to reserve your piece from the time that day’s email is sent out. The next day, a new group of pieces will be offered.

“Something Stinks”
Based on an MGM press release photo in 1934 for “Our Gang”, this one draws a lot of attention at our shows!

** 20×15 paper unframed-normally $400, now $250

** 26.5 x 20 paper unframed-normally $650, now $425

https://www.uhlstudios.com/artwork/collections/classic-works/something-stinks/

“A Simpler Time”

** 26.75 x 20 canvas framed-normally $1,250, now $895
Display piece, only one print being offered

https://www.uhlstudios.com/artwork/collections/classic-works/a-simpler-time/

“Return to Sender”
From the Art of the Motorcycle Collection

** 20×27 canvas framed-normally $1,250, now $795
Display piece, only one print being offered

https://www.uhlstudios.com/artwork/collections/art-of-the-motorcycle/return-to-sender/

GOVERNMENT ACTION—Trump, Pelosi seal revised NAFTA; automakers, unions praise deal

WASHINGTON — House Democrats embraced the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement after securing key revisions and announced plans to vote on the deal next week, putting President Donald Trump closer to a political win as he heads into the 2020 election.

Trump welcomed the finalized NAFTA overhaul, which has been languishing for more than a year and could resolve some of the uncertainty weighing on the economy as he heads into his re-election campaign.

“We are at the end of the session and you have to make some decisions,” Pelosi said.

The changes that Democrats demanded on provisions regarding the environment, pharmaceuticals, labor and overall enforcement were the subject of intense negotiations between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and House Democrats led by Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal.

“Every once in a while you get to participate in a will-it-ever-happen moment,” Neal said Tuesday. ”This is a triumph for workers across America.”

Lighthizer called the agreement “historic” and said the accord “will be the model for American trade deals going forward.”

“After working with Republicans, Democrats, and many other stakeholders for the past two years we have created a deal that will benefit American workers, farmers, and ranchers for years to come,” Lighthizer said in a statement.

GM, Ford praise deal

“General Motors is pleased to see the USMCA agreement moving forward on a path towards approval,” the automaker said in a statement. “We view the agreement as vital to the success of the North American auto industry and have long supported efforts to modernize it in a way that strengthens the industry and positions it to be a global leader.

“GM has invested $23 billion in its American manufacturing operations over the last ten years and has accounted for 26 percent of all U.S. manufacturing investment since 2010. We will continue to do our part to enhance manufacturing and sourcing opportunities in the United States. The certainty that comes from having a trade agreement like USMCA in place allows our company to invest and source with confidence and therefore encourage swift passage of the agreement in Congress.”

Ford Moto Co., in its statement, said it has long supported the USMCA.

“It allows the U.S. auto industry to be globally competitive, encourages U.S. r&d in this new era of mobility, and provides a framework for good-paying U.S. jobs,” Ford said. “This benefits our customers, the workers and families who depend on a strong Ford, and the suppliers who help fuel our success. We look forward to reviewing the details of this final bipartisan agreement and urge Congress to take advantage of today’s progress and momentum by passing the USMCA without delay.”

“We are ready to rock and roll,” Cuellar said after a closed-door meeting of Democratic representatives in Washington. “We’re very confident. We have the numbers” to pass the deal.

Representatives from Canada, Mexico and the Trump administration will meet in Mexico City later Tuesday to sign the amendments to the trade agreement. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the new version will be ratified by the legislatures of all three countries.

Revised provisions

The revised trade agreement removes a loophole in NAFTA that allowed any country to object to the formation of enforcement panels, and it updates rules governing how evidence can be presented at arbitration panels, according to a summary of the agreement.

The major sticking point in talks for months has been labor-rights enforcement. The deal creates a new labor-specific dispute panel system covering all goods and services, and labor violations can lead to “penalties on goods and services.”

Instead of U.S. labor inspectors in Mexico, which Mexican negotiators opposed, the deal creates an inter-agency committee to monitor labor rights in Mexico and allow labor attachés to monitor labor reforms.

The agreement establishes benchmarks for Mexico’s implementation of its new labor law. If the deadline is not met, that leads to “enforcement action,” according to the summary.

“We now have a new and improved, renegotiated NAFTA that prevents Big Pharma from raising prices,” said Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a drug industry group, said removing protections for biologic drugs “surrendered one of the most important tools” that would help Trump keep his promise to “end foreign free-riding on American medical innovation.”

Trump tweeted his support for the revised agreement Tuesday before Pelosi’s announcement.

America’s great USMCA Trade Bill is looking good. It will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA. Good for everybody – Farmers, Manufacturers, Energy, Unions – tremendous support. Importantly, we will finally end our Country’s worst Trade Deal, NAFTA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2019

Moving to the Senate

Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Republican who will shepherd the deal through the GOP-led Senate after House passage, said Tuesday he expects “good news” from Democrats about the deal and isn’t worried that the revised deal would slow its passage.

”I don’t think it’s going to be big enough to stop us from getting it passed,” Grassley said.

–AutoNews.com

–from Ujjwal Dey
International Editor Supreme
Bikernet™ News Bureau India

Don’t miss the deals at the shop for the Holidays. Everything shipped priority, 2-Day delivery.—Bandit

[page break]

FROM THE IN THE WIND MASTER–
The attached images and text were just unearthed in my Drafts folder from an attempted reply to our earlier last month. That was after I’d called to see if you were going to attend—or knew anything about—an inaugural event to be held the next day at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. If you’ll recall, you were unaware of the inaugural charity event. And after trekking out to hell and gone, in search of the fast track—getting lost and found along the way—in order to help judge a bike show for a charity of some sort.

Well, let’s just say I can understand your memory mismanagement of the deal. The PR on it was lacking—a grand total of eight, count ’em eight!—bikes made it. Nonetheless, each dusty ride got plenty of undivided attention from the three biker justices of the peace (pipe) and guaranteed equitable decisions.

I hit the road an hour later, back home in two. In the nick o’ time to help a neighbor hottie load her van for a swap meet early the next morning in Newhall.

Ride on,

–Kim Peterson
Former Editor and Chief
In The Wind Magazine

 BONNEBELLE TO LIVE AGAIN—New 45 flathead engine being built by the crew at Departure Bike Works in Richmond, VA.

Here’s a report from Lee Clemens, the boss. No – not before Christmas – we will be moving on it first of year – will shoot for end of January—want to run engine on hot stand – we had a Mikuni on other engine. I want to run a S&S E on this one—we are having great success.

With an E on the WR that we built to run Sons of Speed – making one hp per cubic inch out of 45s – problem is time – try to do this on the side but my engine man has been out for two months – he is diabetic—

Here are a couple of shots of new Torrington bearings in case and cam cover.

Keep in touch—hope holidays are good to you.

–Lee Clemens
Departure Bike Works

LOWBROW BOBBER OF THE WEEK–“Sometimes you come up on a bike when you aren’t even looking for one…
Kendall was expecting a pile of rust with two wheels forming something that looked like a motorcycle. He was taken aback as to what his eyes saw once he pulled back the tarp though.”

Our friend Kendall built this eye-pleasing Triumph for his childhood friend Mario. Get the scoop here and check out more photos and info on his build. Enjoy!

–Tyler

Mecanica Announces Addition to Forensic Scientific Team Expanding Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction Services–

Mecanica Scientific Services Corporation (Mecanica), a scientific and engineering services consulting firm, has recently announced the addition of Dr. Andre Doria as its Senior Forensic Scientist and Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction Expert.

Dr. Doria, an ACTAR-accredited accident reconstructionist, joins Mecanica’s team of scientists, focused on expanding its motorcycle accident reconstruction division. This division focuses on a wide range of motorized vehicles, including scooters that have grown in popularity and use.

Dr. Doria graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor’s in Physics and obtained a Ph.D. in Ocean Physics. Professionally, he has analyzed over 500 cases in the field of accident reconstruction and is a director elect on the board of the California Association of Accident Reconstruction Specialists.

Dr. Doria is an experienced motorcycle enthusiast, with over 150,000 street riding miles spanning North America, Central America, and Europe. He holds a certified membership with the Iron Butt Association for long-distance, endurance riding and has completed a variety of motorcycling and skills course work on the street, track, and dirt. His motorcycle experience and accident reconstruction background create a unique understanding of motorcycle capabilities, handling, dynamics, power-control systems, and rider-machine interaction.

Dr. Doria’s engineering responsibilities include rapid responses and physical inspections of scenes, bicycles, motorcycles, passenger vehicles, light-duty vehicles, heavy vehicles/buses, and off-road vehicles.

Dr. Doria provides detailed analysis of collisions using specialized photogrammetric and video analysis tools to quantitatively interrogate short-lived evidence captured on digital media. He is proficient in 3D laser scanning, vehicle collision simulations, and extracting crucial physical evidence from UAV-based (drone) photo-surveyed accident scenes. He also is skilled in accessing and interpreting event data recorder (EDR) data from bicycle computers, motorcycles, passenger/light-duty vehicles, heavy vehicle systems, and holds certifications as a Bosch Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) data technician and data analyst.

Dr. Doria joins Mr. John Grindey, in expanding the division focused on Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction. Mr. Grindey is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Mecanica Scientific Services Corporation. Mr. Grindey, also an Accident Reconstruction Expert with over 31 years of experience in the field of accident reconstruction, served as both a full-time team member of the Southern Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) and acting team leader for 10 years, including seven years and over 450,000 miles of riding experience as a Motor Officer with the California Highway Patrol.

Mecanica’s Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction Services provide an additional range of services for attorneys, insurance professionals, manufacturers, and research concerns. Mecanica also provides its services for legislative policy formulation.

Mecanica has grown since its inception in 2014 from a staff of three to twenty-two employees. With its headquarters in Oxnard, CA, Mecanica has offices in Elk Grove, CA, San Diego, CA, as well as its subsidiary, Mecánica Científicos de México, S. de R.L. de C.V. with operations in Mexico City, Mexico. Mecanica has also expanded its client base to include public and private entities throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

For more information about Mecanica, please call +1(805)728-1642 or email at info@mecanicacorp.com.
Contact: Ms. Kathy Curry
Phone: +1(805)728-1642
Email: 230998@email4pr.com

FLORIDA MOVES TO ADDRESS HARMFUL ACCIDENTS–Polk mother pushing for change after losing son in motorcycle crash.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Bartow mother believes justice for her son’s death could come in the form of legislation in Tallahassee.

She says her son Jarrod Naberhaus, 24, was her reason for breathing.

“He was our everything,” said Angela Naberhaus. “He was our best friend. He was our travel buddy. The loss, the emptiness, the despair we feel is indescribable.”

Jarrod Naberhaus was a scuba instructor and had a lifelong passion for underwater photography.

He died in late September while riding his motorcycle on South Florida Ave and Alamo Drive in Lakeland.

A driver failed to yield while making a turn, police say. Speeding was not a factor.

The crash remains under investigation pending toxicology results.

Since her son’s death, Naberhaus quickly learned about traffic laws. She feels drivers who are at fault in fatal crashes are not held accountable in the state of Florida.

For a driver to be found guilty of vehicular homicide, prosecutors must prove the driving was reckless, which can be a high standard.

“In Florida, traffic fatalities are not looked at as criminal. If you are not impaired in the state of Florida, with alcohol or drugs, then it is a traffic violation,” said Naberhaus.

She is advocating for Florida to pass the “Vulnerable Road User Act.”
It would stiffen the penalties for people at fault in crashes involving serious injury or death.

The driver would be placed on house arrest, pay a fine and have his/her license suspended for a specified period of time.

It’s a cause also being taken up by Abate of Florida, Inc., a motorcyclist rights organization.

“When you kill somebody and taking their lives, somebody who is a dad, a brother, a son, or something like that. It’s easy for people to say ‘I didn’t see him!’”

Naberhaus has been working with local state Sen. Kelli Stargel to get the Vulnerable Road User Act passed.

Her office says the bill has been referred to several committees but no agenda has been set at this time.

You can follow Naberhaus’ journey to get the bill passed by following the Justice 4 Jarrod page on Facebook.

— Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
–Channel 8 News

–from Rogue
Senior Editor
Bikernet.com™

NEWS FROM VINTAGE RIDES–Mongolia on a Royal Enfield Himalayan,
quite a story in itself…

Here it is! We made your mouth water a few weeks ago with the release of our short trailer. Now it’s time for you to discover the full version of our Vintage Riders’ gang movie on our new Himalayan Royal Enfield bikes.

Thank you to Fred’s group for their patience and kindness.

Thanks to all the Vintage Riders of the Mongolian 2019 season.

Your feedback has been invaluable, and we have modified our trips to adapt them to the difference in pace between the Classic 500 and the Himalayan.

Thank you to Tuk and our mechanics for helping our riders discover their beautiful country by motorcycle.

Thanks to Jules and Maryne from the blog Explore the World for the pictures and to Seb Sega for the editing.

Thanks to Royal Enfield and Mutuelle des Motards for their support.

Vintage Rides
(By appointment only)
128 rue de la Boétie
75008 PARIS
hello@vintagerides.com
+442032898785

A NOTE FROM A READER— Proud gearhead Keith here.

When I’m not working on my car or helping others with theirs, I enjoy writing about — you guessed it — cars. With both the weather and life as unpredictable as they are, I thought it would be a good idea to write an article for your readers about what they should keep in their car in the event of an emergency.

Not only is it one less thing they have to worry about, but it could save time and lives too. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading this far!

–Keith Jacobs
keith@carupkeep.info
www.carupkeep.info

Generally, I wouldn’t be interested in such an article, but recently I ran across Laura with a troubled battery and no jumper cables. Fortunately, she was here at the headquarters and we have plenty. I want to see what he recommends. –Bandit

GEORGE CHRISTIE ON SET—The previous HA president is working in Spain on a TV series based around his fiction book. Looking good for an old biker.

–Bandit

WE RETURN TO THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY— What does one saggy boob say to the other saggy boob? If we don’t get some support, people will think we’re nuts.

What’s the difference between your boyfriend and a condom? Condoms have evolved: They’re not so thick and insensitive anymore.

What do you get when you jingle Santa’s balls? A white Christmas!

What’s the difference between a G-spot and a golf ball? A guy will actually search for a golf ball!

–from Rogue
Senior Librarian
Bandit’s Cantina™
Bad Joke Library

CLIMATE DEPOT NOTE— Climate skeptics are not being well received here at the UN summit in Madrid. Full Climate Depot coverage of UN summit here.

https://www.climatedepot.com/2019/12/12/exclusive-video-uns-climate-whopper-un-climate-activists-line-up-for-burger-king-at-madrid-summit-despite-uns-warning-on-dangers-of-eating-meat-actor-harrison-ford-confronted-on-uns-hypocris/

Hypocrisy: UN climate activists line up for Burger King at Madrid summit despite UN’s warning on dangers of eating meat –

Harrison Ford confronted about flying up coast for a cheeseburger
Video here: https://youtu.be/yZKaACSyxbY

Video here: https://youtu.be/yZKaACSyxbY

When asked why he “frequently flies up the coast, just for a cheeseburger,” Harrison Ford told CFACT’s Marc Morano “I’m a vegetarian now, thank you” while attending the UN’s climate summit in Madrid.

Meanwhile, UN delegates lined up to chow down on beef burgers at the Burger King in the UN food court – all while calling for meat eating to be discouraged and even banned. The “Impossible Whopper” vegetarian burger was not even an available option.

MADRID, Spain — The UN climate summit in Madrid has been hit with a whopper of hypocrisy as delegates and activists attending are lining up daily for hamburgers at the conferences’ onsite Burger King despite the UN warnings that eating meat is not climate-friendly.

UN activists/delegates pile into Burger King at the Madrid climate summit and chow down the meat with abandon.

UN climate summit attendees devoured the Burger King burgers daily, despite the UN’s loud admonitions on the alleged climate dangers of consuming meat.

See: Flashback: UN admits Cutting CO2 ‘not enough’ – ‘We must change food production to save the world’

–Marc Morano – Climate Depot –

VETERAN’S NEWS FROM THE VA–Quilts of Valor: Reaching out and comforting a fellow human being

The Quilts of Valor Foundation is a national organization founded in 2003 by “Blue Star” mom Catherine Roberts. With a son deployed in Iraq – a gunner sitting atop a Humvee – she felt ten seconds away from panic 24-hours a day, every day. It was during that time her son was deployed that she had the idea of comforting Veterans with quilts.

Since then, more than 140,000 quilts have been awarded here in the United States, and in Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan. With each quilt, the mission to honor Servicemembers and Veterans is fulfilled — one human being reaching out and touching another, without judgement, reaching out with acceptance and with an acknowledgment of service to our nation in very trying circumstances.
?

Close up image of freedom quiltQuilts of Valor Foundation recognizes and acknowledges the “war demons” that plague soldiers from all wars. Thousands of quilters all over the US work daily to create quilts to cover warriors from all conflicts, including WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Quilt of Valor is made of three layers and each layer has own special meaning:

The top with its many colors, shapes and fabrics represents the communities and the many individuals we are.
The batting, the filler, is the center of the quilt, its warmth. It represents our hope that this quilt will bring warmth, comfort, peace and healing to the individual who receives it.

The backing is the strength that supports the other layers. It represents the strength of the recipient, the support of his or her family, our communities, and our nation.
Each stitch that holds the layers together represents love, gratitude, and sometimes the tears of the maker.

Each quilt also represents a three-part message from the givers to those receiving:

First, we HONOR you for your service. We honor you for leaving all you hold dear and to stand in harm’s way in a time of crisis, protecting us from the effects of war.
Next, we know that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. The cost of freedom is the dedication of lives of men and women like you, and this quilt is meant to say thank you for your sacrifice.

And finally, this quilt is meant to offer COMFORT to you, and to remind you that although your family and friends cannot be with you at all times, you are forever in our thoughts and our hearts.

This week, at the Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System in Little Rock, U.S. Air Force Veteran Robert Campbell received the 500th quilt presented at the facility since 2008.

About the author: Martha “Marti” Rouby is a social worker at the Little Rock VA Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has served as the local contact for Quilts of Valor since 2008.

–VA News

WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND—Okay, Saddlemen is kicking ass in the seat market because of their efforts to sell seats and their use of social media and the largest distributor in the industry.

It’s also because they have responded to increased demand with new manufacturing technology, new and more equipment and new people. They have made a concentrated effort to engage with their employees and take care of them. Like I said in the beginning, they are trying to improve all of the elements of their company successfully. It’s not any one system that’s overshadowing the progress. It’s all the systems working in concert.

Dave sincerely feels that our industry is just fine, but many companies are lacking the desire and resources to step up their game, so they complain about the industry. Maybe, some of the H-D bosses should come for a pow-wow with Dave. It couldn’t hurt.

I would go into their social media reach, formula and Buster’s job, but I’m trying to learn it myself. I need to engage more with facebook, and I’ll get to that. Chris Callen at Cycle Source is doing a helluva job on that front. He understands the dynamics.

Bruce and Edge sent me a tech about installing Suspension Technology Shocks on a H-D Trike. It should be up tomorrow.

I’ll be installing my Paughco Springer this weekend and working on the Salt Torpedo.

It’s wild when old outlaws want to do the right thing, but they lived a life of sin and debauchery. Maybe it was always the code of the west. I hope the kids today still learn something, even if it’s wrong.

Ride free or die trying…

–Bandit

by Sabrina Giacomini from https://www.rideapart.com/

BMW is one of the mainstream manufacturers that’s most involved in the electrification of transportation. It didn’t come as a big surprise when the manufacturer showed the Vision DC Roadster back in June. In fact, we were surprised it hadn’t come earlier. BMW has since been pretty quiet about what could become its first electric motorcycle. Until now.

number of European media headed to France to check out the E-Power Roadster which we guess is BMW’s working name for its electric motorcycle prototype. The bike the European journalists got to test is actually an assembly of bits and pieces of existing BMW models, including the front end of an S 1000 R and the back-end of the R 1200 RS. Obviously, at this stage of development, the priority is to put the electric powertrain through its paces rather than gives the model a finished look.

Though even just a Frankenbike, the E-Power showcases a number of really interesting features. First, contrarily to most electric motorcycles that use a belt or a chain final drive, this one sends power to the back wheel via a shaft.

While the bike itself is an amalgam of BMW bikes, the electric powertrain combines bits borrowed from hybrid cars. The 13 kW battery at the core of the bike was grafted from a hybrid 2 Series while the electric motor comes from a long-wheelbase 7 Series (a Chinese exclusivity). This allows the E-Power to produce a respectable 136 horsepower and an exciting 147 lb-ft of torque (that’s 7 lb-ft more than the Zero SR/F and trust me, that’s a lot of pull).

According to Motorcycle News, the E-Power is able to go from 0 to 60 in a minuscule 2.9 seconds, barely 0.2 seconds more than the S 1000 RR. And that’s despite the bike weighing a massive 639 lb.

The prototype is fast charger-compatible and can recharge three miles of range a minute which means that within 30 minutes, it could regain 90-percent of its total range.

According to the Head of BMW Motorrad Christoph Lischka, the company will further the development of the motorcycle and send it to production only if the team can figure out how to increase the range to reach between 125 to 185 miles. So an electric BMW bike isn’t a sure thing just yet. The bets are open.

Destination Yamaha USA Now Offers Supercross VIP Travel Packages

/EIN News/ — MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, today announced a partnership with Ohio-based travel experts, Motosports Travel, to offer VIP packages for select Monster Energy Supercross races as part of the Destination Yamaha program initiative. Beginning with the 2020 season opener held in Anaheim, California on January 4, Yamaha Fan Experience packages offer purchase options that include hotel accommodations, transportation for airport and hotel transfers, prime stadium seating locations, and a unique Yamaha VIP team experience.

“Destination Yamaha continues to grow through our many rental operations across the country, and for 2020 we are expanding the Yamaha experience through these unique Supercross VIP packages,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s Motorsports Marketing Manager. “Motosports Travel is the ideal partner to make attending a Supercross event a truly memorable, turn-key experience.”

Yamaha Fan Experience packages can be purchased through Motosports Travel for the following 2020 Supercross events:

• Anaheim I – January 4, 2020
• Anaheim II – January 18, 2020
• San Diego – February 8, 2020
• Atlanta – February 29, 2020
• Daytona – March 7, 2020
• Denver – April 4, 2020
• Salt Lake City – May 5, 2020

To see everything included in the available packages and book an exciting and memorable Yamaha experience, visit www.motosportstravel.com/yamafan or contact Motosports Travel at yamafan@motosportstravel.com. Motosports Travel staff can also be reached at 1-888-YAMAFAN.

For more information related to all Yamaha products, visit YamahaMotorsports.com.

Follow Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, through your favorite social media site:

#Yamaha #YamahaMotor #YamahaMotorUSA

• www.facebook.com/yamahamotorusa
• www.instagram.com/yamahamotorusa
• www.twitter.com/yamahamotorusa

About Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA
Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA (YMUS), is a recognized leader in the powersports industry. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings include Motorcycles and Scooters, ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles, Snowmobiles, WaveRunner Personal Watercraft, Boats, Outboard Motors, Outdoor Power Equipment, Power Assist Bicycles, Golf Cars, Power Assist Wheelchair Systems, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) Machines, Unmanned Helicopters, Accessories, Apparel, and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States.

YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of distributors and dealers in the United States. YMUS has a corporate office in California, two corporate offices in Georgia, facilities in Wisconsin and Alabama, and factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. Additional U.S.-based subsidiaries include Yamaha Marine Systems Company (YMSC) with divisions Bennett Marine (Florida) and Kracor Systems (Wisconsin), Skeeter Boats (Texas), with division G3 Boats (Missouri), and Yamaha Precision Propeller (Indiana).

For more information about Yamaha, visit YamahaMotorsports.com.

“I had nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion”

— Jack Kerouac, On the Road

What do you do when you drop 30 K on an incredible looking trike but it handles like an over caffeinated college student maxed out on Adderall? That is the question that was posed to me by my good friend Bruce Seigal.

To be honest, he did not use those exact words. He said he has a beautiful looking trike but he doesn’t enjoy riding it because it handles so poorly. Bruce was experiencing a jittery front end at neighborhood speeds and there was no confidence to corner with any serious speed. Now, this is not my area of expertise. As I think about it now, I’m not sure if I have an area of expertise. Anyway, at the time I probably knew more about Japanese water gardens than I did trike suspensions and I am not even sure Japanese water gardens are a thing. Are Japanese water gardens a thing? They have coy fish, right? Arrrgg… that is not the point. I am distracted again. I probably need Adderall.

Anyway, it was a question that I posed to Mike Alex from Suspension Technologies (SuspensionTechnologies.com). Suspension Technologies is one of the top, if not the #1, industry go-tos for difficult suspension questions. Mike started out as a suspension engineer for Chrysler and GM many moons ago and he eventually ended up on the Bonneville salt flats with both companies engineering suspension solutions for teams breaking word speed records. He is a long time Harley rider that kept answering suspension questions until it became evident that he might as well have his own company. He teamed up with Noah Jacobson of Elite Machining to establish a new home for Suspension Technologies and the rest is history.

I asked Mike about the trike and he responded with an interesting offer. “Edge, we are only 7 hours from you. Why don’t you just give us a visit?” I answered “yes” immediately.

A couple weeks later I was the kid in the candy store touring the Suspension Technologies facility. Everything these guys do is USA made and resourced. Most of the process is “in house.” The company has invested millions in machinery in order to produce suspension products to exact tolerances.

I also got a first-hand look at what goes into a shock. One thing that impressed me is that there are 26-30 parts that are assembled by hand. A good number of the parts looked identical to me because my eyes can’t distinguish between washers that may only have a thousandth of an inch difference. The really interesting thing is that switch any part and it will greatly (and negatively) affects how the shock works.

I bought a new set of shocks from one of the biggest names in the industry a while back and I was disappointed. After some serious testing on the road I had to admit to myself that the stock HD shocks that I had replaced, actually handled better than the new shocks I shelled out big bucks to get. This was unbelievable to me. Stock HD shocks can be pretty horrible. “Better than stock,” is a pretty low bar.

I saw the XYZ factory rep later in Daytona and they gave me an exchange with another set. This time the handling was better than stock. The handling was OK however, for the money I shelled out, my world wasn’t set on fire. Anyway, what I realized in this tour is that quite possibly just one of those many parts could have been installed out of order which caused the poor performance. It seems to me like this would be really easy to do.

I asked Mike Alex about this and he said the only way to catch this before the shock goes out to a customer is to use a shock dynamometer. The only way to do this right is to individually test each shock. This is an arduous and therefore expensive process. Ohlin and JRI do this. The high volume, overseas manufactures that I had been giving my money to through the years do not.

Suspension Technologies tests every shock and then the shocks are matched, which is also a big deal. Their shocks are sold in matched sets. They start with cutting edge engineering, materials and processes so that when they are finished; so they have a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. The tour answered my questions about how things that essentially looked the same (to me) could perform so differently. I was a lil’ bit awestruck and I stuck around for a bit and I was able to see the process. Incredible.

Back to the problematic trike. Most of what they do is for bikes but they also deal with trikes and they even manufacture their own trike conversion kit. Mike and Noah each rode the problematic trike and made their observations independent of one another. They don’t talk until they have made their notes independent of each other. It’s a simple idea but it’s pretty smart.

They were both OK with the front forks. Suspension Technologies manufactures a killer fork cartridge replacement kit but both testers thought it wasn’t necessary in this case. They did indicate the need for a front stabilizer (which they don’t make) and steered me to one of their competitors for that. Classy engineers.

The big culprit was the air ride rear suspension. Despite the insanely high price tag on what we took off the trike, they showed me how the “sweet spot” on the air shocks was pretty small. It wasn’t possible to even dial in the sweet spot in this particular case.

After installing the new rear suspension, the trike was instantly more manageable. The crew took turns riding the trike and then comparing notes as the shocks were fine-tuned. Science came full circle to art as the gurus compared notes.

Notes about tuning the suspension from Mike:
First, no spanner tool or any special tool needed to adjust the shock.
If you feel bounce a simple adjustment to the rebound will most likely fix the issue. Soften the preload. Also, with some of our products you can adjust the rebound with the bleed adjuster.

We do advise you take the pressure off the rear of the bike when installing the shocks. It just makes it so much easier. And yes on some bikes you may need to raise or lower the bike to get both sides on, depending on swing arm tolerances.

Now the trike handles like a dream. I don’t think Adderall was a thing when these guys went through engineering school but they got it right. These guys know suspensions.

–Edge