I’m going to make this super quick. I need to get back to the shop. It’s Tuesday morning and George “The Wild Brush is about to show up to help with fiberglass and our canopy.

Actually, I spoke to him last week and he told me that no problem, he could help with the canopy. I’ve been sorta concerned about the canopy. It’s like a one-shot deal and must be cut from our precious body. Makes me nervous. We now have the body back from Aircraft Windshields. I picked it up last Friday.



Saturday George and Micah came to the headquarters and we put the upper and lower halves of the body in place. George sorta panicked. He didn’t like some of the angles of the top glass.

Micah agreed with him. I had been hoping that everything would be alright in the end, like we would keep making mods until the end and hope for the best outcome. Remember the adage, “Everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.”



But George was concerned that if everything wasn’t absolutely perfect, Micah would drive the puppy off a cliff. We mounted the top down and I cut out the parachute box. It wasn’t straight. And George coached me to make a couple more walls.



Monday, Micah arrived, and we waited for George. He didn’t show, but Micah and I weighed lead shot for the front tubes and tested the system to hold it in place.



After Micah peeled out, I nervously cut 5.5 inches off the bottom of the air tech fenders. Micah was heading to Arizona for the weekend to attend Papa John’s funeral. Papa was the founder of the Messengers for Recovery.



While I was carefully cutting thin fiberglass fenders with a cut-off wheel, capable of cutting all my fingers off, Frankie rolled in on the FXR I built for his dad. He was having frontend problems, and we spent the next two hours trying to dial it in. He still needs to have the front wheel checked and balanced.


George had a doctor’s appointment and couldn’t change it. It ate his entire day. He made it to the headquarters in about 45 minutes the following day. Keep our fingers crossed that we make some serious progress, we hit it.



I had to jam back to Llewelyn’s for more marine supplies, fiberglass, resin, hardener and epoxy filler. It’s like Bondo but stiffer and way more expensive. It’s also a 50/50 mix. So, you get a gallon of the goo and a gallon of the hardener for about $250.

I installed sound barrier material in the new Bikernet Van, while Jeremiah installed an Arlen Ness 15-inch rotor kit on his Dyna.











George did his best to figure out the center of the body, and then he drew a line down the body to dial in the fin. Many we should have ducked the fin altogether. The body is now dialed in and the parachute box is straight and strong. We came up with a fix for the nose of the Torpedo and I hope to start a firewall template. This is going to get interesting.


As you know, there’s an excuse for everything. We are scrambling very close to the Bonneville dates and still haven’t fired this puppy up. We’re still messing with the canopy and the body. I needed to take a step back and reassess how we were doing. I’m working on the wiring. 

I decided; we have made amazing progress this year. We are still concerned about the scrutineering aspects of running at Bonneville. I would have to haul everything out to the Salt Flats and have an inspector tell me I couldn’t run.

We also need to be able to run this around the block and test handling before we go. This puppy is new and different in lots of respects. We need to test its abilities before we load it on a trailer for the run to the salt. On the other hand, we are getting close to completion.

 Okay, it’s Tuesday and the Weekend Round-up is late. Fuck it, we’ve got shit to do and next Monday we need to pick up our windshield. Plus, a new leather shipment is coming in, including Micah’s race suit.

Yesterday, I had a long conversation with a DAV representative and there’s hope for me, maybe. George came over and we took the top off the Torpedo, so he could glass the back of the parachute box. Then Jane called. She’s a local antique wheeler-dealer. She wanted to bring a guy over who buys antiques and sells them to Japan.



Jane and Michele arrived and poked around, but I was scrambling to get shit done. He pointed at small shit and art and asked me how much. He wouldn’t make me an offer. I didn’t have time to fuck with negotiating with him, so I had to pass for now.

So, here’s my list for the next couple of days. I would like to meet with Lupe and discuss the Epoxy Primer again. I need to build a template for the rest of the firewall and figure out a plan for installation. I need to replace the Barnett clutch cable. I installed the wrong one.



I need to run to a small shop in Bell Gardens to have fold-up seats measured for the Van. I did and Gus wasn’t prepared. I decided to go another route. I launched a small tech about my Grandson’s Dyna and how his thick-walled Lindby crash bar saved his ass in Northern California. Hell, I needed to clean the shop and prepare for Micah’s return to the mechanics of the operation.



I don’t have anything to do with ER or Paisano publications, but it had to do with my history, and I didn’t like to see the ER icon slip away. The more I heard about the deal, the more it smelled.

What else. Fuck it, I’m burnin’ daylight. I took the Redhead to see the documentary, “Maiden.” It’s about the first women to to man a sailboat in the most brutal round-the-world race in history. They said the broads couldn’t do it. Tracey Edwards was the powerhouse behind the operation at 5’2″. She found a used boat and her team went to work refitting it for this race in 1988. Talk about an odyssey, this team of girls broke records and won two legs of the race. Made me think about this effort. 


This is a critical week. We are still messing with the canopy and the top of the body. We’re close, but everyday adds elements. George keep bringing up the inspection process and how we need to have someone come over and see what we are doing before we head to Utah. That means we need to finish the body, the canopy and the firewall. We need to safety wire some fasteners, which reminds me. I believe we need to drill holes in the oil and tranny drain plugs.

I need to install a couple of components, like the regulator, but I can’t find the bracket I made. Then I need to start the wiring and finish it this week.

There are so many ifs, but tomorrow, Monday July 29th, I need to hit True Value Hardware for more body fasteners, 10/24s, and hope more packages arrive. I completed some of the missions yesterday, found and mounted the regulator, the JIMS head fan, the head breather kit. I called about the front tires and Angel Hernandez told me they would arrive tomorrow to Performance Plus Tire. That’s great news, now I just need the mudguards, which should arrive any day. They did!


We will need to adjust the trail and the toe-in on the front wheels. Every time we adjust the front end, we will be adjusting these wings. Each adjustment could mess with handling in adverse ways. I needed to eliminate one more potential hazard, or two. The mudguards won’t have aerodynamic impacts on the Torpedo.


Okay, George is due back today. We need to have a Pow-wow about our time, goals, the body and canopy. George want to continue to refine the body, but at this point, we need a couple of coats of primer, some stickers and a run at the salt.


Then, if we can have someone stop by for an inspection and we pass… If all goes perfectly, the following week we could find a trailer and make plans for the run to Bonneville. If all goes perfectly…

There’s another side to this equation. If we don’t make it, then we have a year to dial in any aspects and opportunities to take it to El Mirage for test runs and scrutineering exercises. So, from a Zen prospective, we’re all good, just keep chugging away.



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The new Triumph Bobber will likely be unveiled at the 2019 EICMA Motorcycle show in Milan, Italy that will take place during November this year. As the test mule appears to be in a production-ready state, you can expect the new model to hit the markets sometime early next year.

Next-gen Triumph Bobber (Image source: MCN)

Triumph Motorcycles has been testing the next generation Bobber and the latest set of images revealed by MCN reveal some new and interesting details. The new model gets a new suspension and braking hardware that aims at enhancing the handling and stopping power of the motorcycle. The test mule can be seen with fully adjustable Ohlins upside-down forks at the front. Moreover, the bike has now been updated with the top end Brembo M50 Monobloc calipers. The present-day Triumph Bonneville Bobber comes with a single-piece handlebar and the new model will come with clip-on handlebars that aim at better handling.

The rear end of the motorcycle will get a monoshock and that is also expected to be sourced from Ohlins. The rear brake set up of the motorcycle seems to be unchanged. As far as the powertrain is concerned, it would be too early to comment if the motor has seen some significant changes. However, we assume that the company is working on a more performance spec ‘Bobber R’ variant that could see a considerable bump in power. The 1200cc, parallel-twin engine on the existing Bobber is good for churning out respective power and torque outputs of 76hp and 104Nm. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission system.

The new Triumph Bobber will likely be unveiled at the 2019 EICMA Motorcycle show in Milan, Italy that will take place during November this year. As the test mule seems to be in a production-ready state, you can expect the new model to hit the markets sometime early next year. Triumph Bonneville Bobber is currently priced in India at Rs 10.08 lakh (ex-showroom). The new model will demand a significant premium over this price due to the high-end components on offer than before.

More details on the new Bobber expected to be revealed in the coming days, so stay tuned with us! For the latest auto news and reviews, subscribe to our official Express Drives YouTube channel.

Image Source: MCN

July 27, 2019 | Washougal Motocross Park | Washougal, Wash. Foothill Ranch, Calif. (July 28, 2019) – Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac proved to be the only thing more captivating than the lush, green scenery in Washougal, Washington after a dominating performance once again with the overall win following pole position and a pair of moto wins at Round 9 of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Teammate Joey Savatgy had his best finish of the season and captured both holeshots to complete Kawasaki’s dominance of the 450 class. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo continued his podium presence with a second-place overall after going 3-2 for the day. Tomac arrived ready to go at the Washougal National as he qualified first after setting a blistering 2:15.42 lap time to open the day, almost a full two seconds faster than any other rider on the track. Unknowingly, this would be another chapter in the ‘Book of Eli’ where fans in attendance got to witness another one of his mind-blowing come from behind dominant performances. The first 450 moto of the day had every single fan in attendance on the fence line, cheering on their favorite riders as the top-7 riders traded positions the entire moto. Finding himself in seventh at the end of Lap 1 with all of his championship competitors ahead of him, Tomac put on another one of his well-known, charge-from-behind performances that will be forever remembered. Tomac began hunting down his competition and slipped past his teammate, Savatgy, into second place setting his sights on the leader. With the three laps remaining, Tomac made a minor mistake in a corner causing a small tip-over. After quickly remounting and catching back up to the leader, with one lap remaining Tomac and his competitor’s lines came together, propelling Tomac to the front and ultimately crossing the finish line in first place. Not to be outdone by his first race performance, Tomac once again found himself buried off the start in the second 450 moto of the day. However, there was no stopping Tomac on this day as he spent nearly the entire moto blasting past his competitors and eventually left his rivals behind in the final laps to complete the moto sweep by 11.9 seconds. Tomac’s dominant performance of 1-1 scores earned him the maximum championship points possible on the day and further extended his lead in the 450MX championship points standings to 50. Savatgy, a 450MX class rookie has been in search of a consistent weekend showcasing his talents and he was able to do just that this weekend in the Pacific Northwest. Savatgy, who has had success in the trees in years past, let it all hang out in both motos rocketing to the Motosport.com Holeshot in each race aboard his KX™450. Savatgy was able to gain invaluable knowledge throughout both races, as he was able to learn the pace of the leaders. Savatgy’s consistent 6-6 performance was strong enough to earn him a seventh-place overall finish on the day, and his best overall performance of the season. With Tomac’s second 1-1 sweep of the season, he has now won the Washougal national the last three out of four years running, furthermore, the victory gives him sole possession of fifth on the all-time 450 Class wins list, with 21 motocross victories, breaking a tie with James Stewart. #3 Eli Tomac 1st (1-1) #17 Joey Savatgy 7th (6-6) “Today was sweet. Days like today don’t come around easily and when they do you just have to cherish them. I made it more difficult on myself than it needed to be with my starts but once I found my rhythm I was able to just start clicking guys off. I can’t thank the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki crew enough for giving me such a killer motorcycle. Today, I never felt panicked or rushed, I was confident in my KX™ and knew I could just keep moving forward. We got a weekend off, but the work doesn’t stop, we are going to keep moving towards our goal and finish the season off strong.“ – Eli Tomac “Today was a big step in the right direction. We have had some frustrating weekends the past few weeks so to get two holeshots and finish with two sixth-place finishes for seventh overall, I am pretty pumped. The goal is to be on the podium but today we showed we have the speed. Just need to clean up a few minor things and get adjusted to running the front runners pace and we will be good. I can’t wait to get to Unadilla in two weeks.” – Joey Savatgy DOWNLOAD 450MX IMAGES Cianciarulo kicked off the morning by going quickest in qualifying with a 2:17.99. Moto 1 in the 250MX class saw Cianciarulo get out to a good start but was sandwiched between his competitors. He quickly made moves forward and was able to settle into third place, where he would eventually go onto to finish the race. As the gate dropped on 250MX Moto 2, Cianciarulo shot out of the gate aboard his KX™250, making quick work of his competitors and on the tail of leader by the end of Lap 1. Cianciarulo hounded and pressured the leader the entire race and even after a last lap, last-ditch effort Cianciarulo ultimately crossed the line in second place. Cianciarulo’s 3-2 score kept his podium streak alive of finishing on the overall podium at all nine rounds this season and the Florida native heads into the weekend off with a 28-point advantage in the 250MX class standing. An unfortunate crash in Moto 1 on the first lap left Garrett Marchbanks with a damaged motorcycle forcing him to pull in immediately and withdraw from the race. With the 40th gate pick for Moto 2, Marchbanks had his work cut out for him and a poor start found the rider buried off the start. Marchbanks was only able to climb up into 19th place. The No. 61 machine currently sits in 14th place in the championship points standings.  #92 Adam Cianciarulo               2nd (3-2) #61 Garrett Marchbanks   22nd (40-19) “Although we fell short of our weekly goal which is to win, there are still positives to take away from the weekend with our second-place finish today. I was doing everything I could in that second moto to get into first, but we just couldn’t find the right place to make a pass stick. It was rad to battle like that though. We are leaving here healthy and still with the points lead, so we will make some improvements over the break and be ready to go in two weeks.” – Adam Cianciarulo “Moto 1 was frustrating as I felt good all day, but my crash had done too much damage to get back out there. In Moto 2, I struggled to find a rhythm and struggled to go forward after 40thgate pick. I know I am capable of much greater results and will go back to the drawing board this week during our break to make the necessary changes to get me back up where I belong. I can’t say thank you enough to the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team for sticking behind me and believing in me on these tough days like today.” – Garrett Marchbanks DOWNLOAD 250MX IMAGES MEDIA CONTACT Vanessa O’Brien 512.557.0149 Vanessa@nextlevelsportsinc.com Dominick Vandenberg 949.412.6965 ​ Dom@nextlevelsportsinc.com  KAWASAKI CARES: Always wear a helmet, eye protection and proper apparel. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Adhere to the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaWrVKvQOC8

AN AMA ALERT: Sign the petition today!   The Office of United States Trade Representative, as part of a dispute over aircraft subsidies, has proposed 100 percent tariffs on motorcycles imported from countries in the European Union with an engine size between 500cc and 700cc, along with parts and accessories. The American Motorcyclist Association is joining others in the motorcycling community to oppose the USTR’s latest ill-conceived proposal. Motorcyclists should not be penalized with exorbitant tariffs because of an unrelated trade dispute. Any trade sanctions imposed as a result of this dispute should come from more closely related industries or products. To oppose this tariff, the AMA is asking our members to sign this petition. The petition will be presented to the USTR to demonstrate the motorcycling public’s opposition to the proposal. Please take a moment and complete the form below to protect the future of motorcycling. Take Action Motorcyclists who depend on parts from Europe to keep their motorcycles in safe, working order will face increased cost and decreased availability under this proposal. This will result in motorcyclists putting off critical maintenance and will keep their vehicles off the road, negatively affecting the countless small businesses that depend on motorcycle-based tourism. Additionally, this proposed tariff will cause serious, and potentially irreversible, harm to American small- and medium-sized business owners selling the motorcycles, parts and accessories. Should the availability of products be hindered through unjustified trade sanctions on European-produced motorcycles, dealerships may close, leaving countless Americans without jobs. The negative effects of the proposed trade sanctions will not only harm the motorcycle sales industry, but will spread through the aftermarket equipment sector, recreation equipment sales, the sports entertainment industry and further down the line.

With Hades’ unveiling, the man behind the machine was also revealed as none other than legendary designer JT Nesbitt.