What’s especially strange about this is the reason I fear. My arrest and punishment would not be for driving recklessly or for endangering other drivers. It would be because I failed a test of something that is not materially related to my actual driving.

Then there are the frequent cases in which cops arrest people for DUI who are stopped for something else, like a burned-out tail light. I’ve known of people who have been arrested in their own driveways, having gotten home safely and harmed no one. They are arrested and imprisoned, a humiliating and terrible experience for anyone to go through.

Clearly, this DUI enforcement has been a boon to the police but has it really curbed drunk driving? You might consider staking out your local bar, following how much people drink, and observing how many get in cars after. I’ll just state what most everyone knows but hardly anyone says: drinking and driving is a national sport in the U.S. In the vast, vast majority of cases, no harm is done.

Murray Rothbard once told me that he thought drunk driving should be legal. I was stunned and shocked that anyone would say such a thing. But over time, I began to see his point. It is not outrageous at all.
 With laws against DUI, what’s being criminalized? Not reckless driving as such. Not aggression against anyone. What’s being criminalized is the chemical make up of the blood in your body. That itself should be no crime. To make having a certain blood content illegal is essentially totalitarian.

But you say that drinking is associated with bad driving. Well, enforce the laws against reckless driving. Many more people drink and drive than drive recklessly. Some people drive even more safely after a few drinks, correcting for their delayed responses. We do this all the time, e.g. after a workout, when we are sleepy, when we are angry, whatever. Human beings adapt with rationality.

Laws against drunk driving have vastly expanded police power and done nothing to stop the practice. The best prevention against unsafe driving from drinking has been provided privately: friends, services offered by bars and restaurants, community interest groups, etc. This is the humane and rational way societies deal with social risks. The police have only messed up this process by adding a coercive element that targets liberty rather than crime.

And we can see where this is heading. Texting is now illegal in most places. So is talking on the phone. Maybe talking itself should be illegal. Some communities are talking about banning eating. All of this is a distraction from the real issue.

As Radley Balko has said:

If our ultimate goals are to reduce driver impairment and maximize highway safety, we should be punishing reckless driving. It shouldn’t matter if it’s caused by alcohol, sleep deprivation, prescription medication, text messaging, or road rage. If lawmakers want to stick it to dangerous drivers who threaten everyone else on the road, they can dial up the civil and criminal liability for reckless driving, especially in cases that result in injury or property damage.

 A free society is built by you and me, beginning in our own lives. The digital age has given us better tools for doing this than we’ve ever had before. Become a citizen of the real free world and help us spread the message of liberty. Join Liberty.me today.

The Smoke Out is three weeks away and people all over this great US of A are preparing to ride to Rockingham, NC for the festivities June 16-17, 2017. The gravitational pull of the Smoke Out as the epicenter of the chopper universe has chopper jockeys everywhere preparing for the ride.

I thought I would take a minute and share the tool kit I use for epic adventure.

I’ll just admit right now that I can be obsessive. The smallest detail can send me on a two-day binge of Internet research. It can be kind of a curse actually. I have kept a file, for twenty years, full of pictures and notes about what should be in my tool kit. I will tell you right up front you should probably buy a CruzTools kit and forget about it until you need it.

My tool kit has evolved radically through the years. I first listed the contents of my tool kit for the Horse readership about fifteen years ago. I received emails, for example, telling me I need this or that for when I would need to take a transmission apart. I started to add all kinds of tools until it occurred to me that this kit is only to handle road emergencies within the capability of my mechanical expertise and my willingness to fix something in a parking lot.

I know professional mechanics who have said, if anything happens to their bike it’s getting hauled to a garage. Their tool kit is a Visa card. I’m somewhere in the middle. I won’t be taking a transmission apart, but I certainly can handle some road side fixes to keep my trip on track. I’ve adjusted headlights, clutches, primary chains, chains and belts. I’ve changed cables, swapped coils, tightened loose things (a lot), and even handled service work, like tune-ups and oil changes on some long trips (on my bike and friends’ bikes).

Bottom line: The first question I had to answer is, “What do I expect to fix on the road?”

There are a couple more things to mention. I don’t have hard bags. So my tool kit gets carried in whatever bag I am carrying everyday. It gets carried into every hotel, every night. Somehow, years ago, I got on this quest of trying to build the most minimalistic, physically small, and high quality kit I could.

I also wanted American made tools. Honestly, if I had a dresser and I could leave my kit in the bottom of a cavernous hard bag a couple extra un-needed tools would not be an issue. Well, they would be for me probably; buy only because, like I said, I can be obsessive.

I have a box of just “tool poaches” I have collected for years, from yard sales. It also contains discarded items or other tool kits I have tried and dismissed. Some are almost the same size but not quite. I would try something for six months and then go with something else that was just a half-inch different.

Twenty years ago I carried a couple screwdrivers, which were replaced by one screwdriver with interchangeable bits. Then I had to try several different models of screwdrivers with interchangeable bits, each one smaller than the last. Now I don’t carry any screwdriver, per se. I carried a 3/8-inch drive socket set until I realized I could get a really small ¼-inch socket set to do everything I needed.

I tried several sets of Allen and Torx wrenches until I got a bit driver and just carried the bits. You get the idea. I really don’t want to know how much time and money I have spent on pieces for this tool kit that didn’t make the final cut. It’s kind of a sickness.

However, I have to say, I am happy with my tool kit now. It’s really small and it has come through for me and my brothers time after time.

This kit is my answer, for me.

It’s a two-part kit. One is everyday riding and shorter overnight trips. The second part is an augmentation for longer trips.

The biggest game changer was that I eventually stumbled on Chapman Manufacturing. Their little mini-ratchet and bits became the heart of my daily carry tool kit. Imagine heavy clouds with one hole in the clouds, where one ray of bright sunlight illuminates a small yellow pouch on a motorcycle seat. This is how I see my Chapman tools.

The problem at the time was they didn’t have the collection of bits I wanted in one kit or a good way to carry them. I contacted Chapman and we worked together to build what I think is just an amazingly small, and useful bit set. Just so you know I don’t make anything when Chapman sells these sets. It’s just a cool little company that has been around a long time and it was a fun project. Now you can order the American Motorcycle Set 1903H Pack.

This kit has a cool little Chapman midget ratchet and an extension. It comes with a thing they call a “spinner” which allows you to use the bits with the extension as if you had an entire screwdriver handle. It doesn’t look like a screwdriver but it works well. The LowBrow version of the Chapman kit has:

Allen Hex bits: 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, ¼ and 5/16-inch
Slotted screwdriver bits: ¼ and 3/8-inch
Phillips screwdriver bits: #1, #2, #4
Star bits (fit torx screws) T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T40
and a ¼-inch Drive socket adapter
It’s packed in a heavy-duty yellow vinyl case that to me is kind of nostalgic cool.

My daily carry kit also has:

– A long ¼-inch box end wrench, which I use as a “breaker bar” with the Chapman bits, rather than put so much stress on the tiny Chapman ratchet.
– 10mm wrench
– 3/8 x 7/16-inch (open end) wrench
– ½ x 9/16-inch (open end) wrench
– Roll of mini duct tap
– Bailing Wire
– Four 14-inch zip ties
– “AAA” flashlight
– 6-inch Vice grips
(I keep my tire pressure gauge out.)

I use a shop rag to pad the contents and keep the wrenches from banging together. The fuse box on my bike has an empty slot for two extra fuses, which I fill with spares. I always have something on me to cut zip-ties but if you don’t you should probably add something for that (a sharp knife, side cutters, or even nail clippers are good). I keep a tire gauge outside the kit to make it easier to use. That’s it but you will be amazed how much you can do with such a compact kit.

In a separate pouch for longer trips, I also bring:

-A ¼-inch drive socket set with a ¼-inch drive ratchet, 2-inch extension, 3-inch extension, ¼-inch drive breaker bar (to keep from putting so much torque on such a small ratchet), and Sockets – ¼, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, ½, 9/16 and 5/8-inch.

I have SK Tools, which are way nicer and more expensive than I need. This whole set is really small, as you can see in the picture. I do not remember ever seeing a ¼-inch drive set with a 5/8-inch socket (and some don’t have 9/16-inch). You need to order them separately from Amazon or somewhere but they are available.

Throw in: Electrical Wire, a continuity tester, a Crescent Wrench, pliers, and one use – WD 40 and Locktight samples and you’re golden.

If you use this kit for a while email me and let me know what you think. (Edge.42@mac.com) Enjoy the wild ride!

See you at the Smoke Out 2017! Bandit punked out this year. I don’t get it? Something about a Redhead and Rye Whiskey he found in the desert. There is no forgiving the bastard… We will eat more white-lightening marinated Marachino cherries, but don’t tell anyone

–Commander Edge

Did he mention a feeler gauge?—Bandit

NCOMBIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled& Edited by Bill Bish,

QUOTABLEQUOTE: “The one thing thatdoesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’sconscience.”

It’s so interesting. About ten years ago we published an article from the madman in Hawaii, Deacon, on how to make a cone-motor Shovelheads run as well as an Evolution.

JIMS also makes a kit to make your Shovel engine oil more effectively through the pushrods, but Merch has a system to turn a regular Shovelhead into a Shovelution. See below:

REVITALIZE YOUR TIRED SHOVEL!!!! we can turn your tired shovel into a SHOVEL-UTION engine, better controlled oil pressure to each individual rocker, quieter running engine, adjustable pushrods, set once, no futher adjustment necessary, better power band and much more power with our MERCH/ANDREWS MMSE-1 cam, result MORE POWER, MAINTENANCE FREE ENGINE $1895.00. shop is taking bookings now. merch@bellaliant.com.

Gerry Merchant
Moncton, NB, Canada
Monday, March 06, 2017

Here are the steps from Gerry Merchant, the air-cooled V-Twin Wizard:

Comparison of the Shovel rocker arms to the evolution/TC rocker arms. Note the bronze thrust washer O.D. .885, I.D. .437.

The end play must be set up .005-.010 approx for the rocker arms in the shaft. There will be four O-rings required, our part number is KG-116-90.

These rocker arms will need to be modified (ground as per illustration 5). Shovel has the indent which must be removed until it resembles the second one.

These are the correct rocker box gaskets and O-rings required

Rocker box surfaces must be lightly emery’d to allow good surface mating. Next assemble Evolution/T.C. rocker arms in rocker boxes. . Rocker arm socket capscrew ‘78-later torqued 8-12 ft/lbs. Rocker arm lock nut 7/16-24 torqued 12-18 ft/lbs. Rocker box nut 5/16-24, torqued 12-15 ft/lbs.

Showing the shortness of the Shovel rocker shaft and the travel required in the rocker boxes. Using a putty to establish the necessity of some stock removal in the rocker box to allow free travel of the rocker arm.

Most Shovel rocker boxes are rough cast, and often require stock removal even in a Shovel that is not undergoing conversion. Certainly quiets that part of the engine

Note: Shovelhead valve angle exhaust 38 degrees, intake 40 degrees

Pushrod cover length Evo-M/P 5.000-inch.
Pushrod cover bottom O/D 1.080, machine to 1.055.

Shave .025 bottom flange as per picture, use pushrod clip Ms. 2.600 front exhaust- re check S & S. Shovel H-D pushrod tube – covers will work.

The shot directly above shows 1/8 inch pipe thread plug in the rocker box, since outside oiling no long necessary. This system oils through the pushrods, like Evos. Should consider running Evo style bottom pushrod tubes, better seal: Shovel covers may need cork vs. rubber

Four Evo rocker arms
Four Andrews E/Z adjust chrome molly push rods
Two Evo/chrome lifter blocks
Two USA made Evo style hydraulic cam followers.
Complete top end Cometic gasket set
Four aluminum billet lower push rod covers
Four bronze rocker arm thrust washers

Or considering the age of the Shovel engine and the possibility that it is a high-miler with rebuilds, and the necessity of custom machine and part fabrication,
we are positioned to completely refurb the Shovel engine, replacing worn and suspect parts and return it as a freshened SHOVEL-UTION. ……………..P.O.A.

Times may have changed, but Route 66—the highway some folks believed was dead and gone—is alive and kicking like never before. One book gives you everything you need to know about this iconic highway. The new ROUTE 66 ADVENTURE HANDBOOK: High-Octane 5th Edition (Santa Monica Press/May 2017), by Drew Knowles contains new and interesting facts as well as maps to guide riders down the multiple paths of Route 66, displaying the exact locations of points of interest.

Route 66 begins in Illinois, near the shore of Lake Michigan. Of course, one can just as easily begin a tour of Route 66 from its western terminus in California, but there are good reasons not to. Traditionally, the Mother Road runs westward, from Chicago to Santa Monica, just as the United States of America has always been a westward-moving nation.

The U.S. began as a small grouping of states huddled along the Atlantic coast. To the west, the future states of Kentucky and Tennessee were wildernesses. Ohio and Indiana were settled by a few intrepid farmers for the value of their soil. Illinois was at that time considered the Northwest, and about as far west as any “American” semblance of civilization that existed. Over the generations, more and more of that West has been tamed, and the outposts of civil society have moved westward as well.

Traveling Route 66 from east to west, then, you will be following the well-worn path of this country’s very development. The countryside will unfold before you, just as it did for the American people in their conquest of the continent several generations ago, almost as though you had mastered time travel. You will be richer for the experience, because you will come away feeling a kinship for the brave souls who pushed America’s boundaries and made her what she is today.

Inseparable from the story of westward movement is the availability of water, as both transportation and sustenance. The development of Chicago as the outpost of civilization that it came to be was largely due to its location at the far end of a string of lakes and other navigable watercourses. For many reasons, water sources are conducive to settlement, while a scarcity of water is a severe hindrance to any development. It is no accident, then, that Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles are the largest cities on Route 66—they are located at the route’s three largest water sources: Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, and the Pacific Ocean, respectively.

As you move westward on Route 66, the story of water is one which the observant traveler will read all along the way. West of St. Louis, there is a gradual decrease in water availability and a simultaneous decrease in population density. The rivers that Highway 66 encounters are smaller, and the cities that dwell on the banks of those rivers are proportionately smaller as well.

CHICAGO

The famous Chicago fire of 1871, which may or may not have been caused by Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, utterly destroyed the city. Afterward, the city made a conscious effort to rebuild using more durable materials and superior building methods so that the new Chicago would stand the ravages of time and nature. More than a century later, the city continues to take pride in its architecture. If you are at all interested in the art and science of architecture, it is worth your while to take advantage of some of the countless tours available. Some of the most well-known tours take place on the water, and launch from either the Chicago River or Lake Michigan. Other tours, which can be taken by bus, air, trolley, or bicycle, are also available.

Chicago was the scene of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, the grounds of which were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who also designed New York’s Central Park, the Stanford University campus, and other acclaimed outdoor spaces. It was at the 1893 Exposition that George Washington Gale Ferris introduced the now-familiar Ferris wheel. The original was 250 feet tall and had 36 cars, each with a capacity of 60 passengers. That original wheel was later moved and used at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The two lions that graced the Exposition’s Palace of Fine Arts building have since been made a part of the Art Institute of Chicago, near the spot where westbound Route 66 begins.

The Exposition of 1893 made some other memorable or even permanent imprints. It was there that Cracker Jack was first introduced, later immortalized in the 1908 song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Little Egypt, otherwise known as Catherine Devine, scandalized the fair by performing the hoochee-coochee in scanty attire (some say in the nude). The model for Aunt Jemima, a woman named Nancy Green, was a cook who advertised food products at the Exposition. Visitors enjoyed the first-ever public use of electric lighting at the Exposition, and it was also the scene where hot dogs were first served on buns. The vendor, A. L. Feuchtwanger, handed out white gloves with the sausages so that his customers’ hands wouldn’t be scalded. To his initial dismay, the gloves were not being returned as he had intended, and so he began substituting bread instead.

Chicago once had a less-than-savory reputation as the home of the underworld. Gangland slayings were not uncommon. The infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred in 1929 at the SMC Cartage Company at 2122 Clark Street. The building was demolished shortly after its use as the set for the 1967 film starring Jason Robards and George Segal.

Outlaw John Dillinger was gunned down by law enforcement officials on July 22, 1934, outside the Biograph Theater (2433 N. Lincoln Avenue). Dillinger had just viewed a gangster film there called Manhattan Melodrama. There is a plaque at the site to mark the occasion. The leader of the FBI contingent was Melvin Purvis, who committed suicide in 1960 using the same pistol given to him by his fellow officers to commemorate Dillinger’s violent end.

In 1933, Chicago played host to the Century of Progress Exposition. It was there that Sally Rand made her splash by riding a white horse to the fair “attired,” more or less, as Lady Godiva. Her main act consisted of an essentially nude dance routine, which included the strategic use of ostrich feathers. This caused such a sensation that she was able to parlay it into a career which lasted some thirty years.

The 1933 Exposition also brought the first aerial tramway, the first public demonstration of stereophonic sound reproduction, and the debut of Grant Wood’s now-famous painting, American Gothic. A former student at the Art Institute of Chicago, Wood intended for his painting to be a sort of spoof of the Holbein style.

Chicago Attractions

Following is just a small sampling of local offerings that you might find interesting if you plan to spend significant time in America’s “Second City” and its immediate surroundings.

The Chicago Water Works (163 E. Pearson St.) tower was one of the few structures in Chicago to survive the 1871 fire. It now houses a visitor center where you can purchase half-price day-of-performance theater tickets. There is also a gallery of photographs by some of Chicago’s own native talent, as well as other welcome amenities.

The Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark St.) is the city’s oldest cultural institution, established in 1856. The museum traces the city’s development from outpost through the present day, with a permanent display pertaining to America in the Age of Lincoln. Also included is a passenger car from 1893, on which the public traveled to the World’s Columbian Exposition that year.

Dearborn Station (47 W. Polk St.), a National Landmark in the Romanesque style dating to 1885, has been converted to a mall and marketplace.

The Charnley-Persky House Museum (1365 N. Astor St.), formerly a residence, was a joint project by Louis Sullivan and protégé Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1890s.

Dating from the early 1880s, the Pullman Historic District is the country’s first planned industrial community. Guided walking tours are available at the Historic Pullman Visitor Center (11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave.) Within the district are the Greenstone Church, the Hotel Florence Museum, and the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum Gallery. The Pullman Porter Museum features an outstanding collection of historical photographs.

The Prairie Avenue Historic District includes the Clarke House Museum (1827 S. Indiana Ave.), a Greek Revival design that is the oldest residence in the city (1836). The Glessner House Museum (1800 S. Prairie Ave.) is nearby.

The residences in the 3800 block of Alta Vista Terrace are a little bit peculiar. Each house on one side of the street has a twin (with only minor variations) on the opposite side of the street, in exactly the same order. However, since the two series begin at opposite ends of the block, only in the center of the block do the designs directly across from one another match.

Chicago’s Hotel Intercontinental (505 N. Michigan Ave.) started out in 1929 as the Medinah Athletic Club, and its world-class, lavishly decorated swimming pool is where Olympic gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller did some of his training during his years portraying Tarzan on the big screen.

The Tribune Tower (435 N. Michigan Ave.), which houses the famous newspaper, was completed in 1925 following a design competition among several distinguished architectural firms. The building includes fragments of some 120 architectural icons from around the world embedded in its walls, including the Taj Mahal, Palace of Westminster, and Great Wall of China.

Accessible through a subway-like entrance across from the Tribune building is the Billy Goat Tavern (430 N. Michigan Ave.), made famous by Saturday Night Live’s “cheese-boiga” routine.

Speaking of eateries, Chicago has myriads of them. But one of the more out-of-the-ordinary ones is the Weber Grill Restaurant (539 N. State St.). All meals are prepared on actual Weber-manufactured grills, much like one you may have at home. They’re fired by charcoal, just like yours, and you can watch your food being prepared in “backyard” fashion. Surrounding the patio is a railing made from Weber grill cooking grates.

The Polish Museum of America (984 N. Milwaukee Ave.) tells the story of Polish immigration to the new world, and to Chicago in particular, said to be the home of the largest Polish population in the world outside of Warsaw.

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (1431 W. Taylor St.) pays tribute to those Italian Americans making their mark in the world of sports. Inductees include the obvious, like Phil Rizutto and Rocky Marciano, but also some surprises such as Mary Lou Retton and Phil Mickelson.

The International Museum of Surgical Science (1524 N. Lake Shore Dr.) is housed in a landmark lakeside mansion constructed by one of the heirs to the Diamond Match Company fortune. The museum, which launched in 1954, features more than 10,000 display items and traces the art and science of surgery from its primitive beginnings to present day.

The long-closed Castle Car Wash (3801 W. Ogden Ave.), in the North Lawndale section of town, was an early automotive business (1925) that resembles a crenellated medieval castle.

Greater Chicago

Nearby Oak Park is the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (951 Chicago Ave.). Oak Park features more than twenty of Wright’s designs and, of course, tours are available.

Oak Park was also the boyhood home of Ernest Hemingway. The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park includes the famous author’s birthplace (339 N. Oak Park Ave.) and a museum (200 N. Oak Park Ave.) containing first editions and Hemingway’s diary. Visitors are encouraged to begin their tour at the museum; Hemingway’s birth home is just a short walk away.

Within Greater Chicago is Des Plaines, home of the first franchised McDonald’s restaurant. (The very first McDonald’s, run by the McDonald brothers themselves, was in San Bernardino, California.) This was the first one run by Ray Kroc, a former salesman who liked the McDonalds’ concept and bought them out. Closed in 1983, it reopened a couple of years later as the McDonald’s Museum (400 N. Lee St.). Of course, McDonald’s is the organization which started the demise of so many mom-and-pop enterprises, and so is actually antithetical to Route 66.

In the community of Niles is the Leaning Tower of Niles (6300 W. Touhy Ave.), a half-size replica of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was constructed in the 1930s, and is located on the grounds of the local YMCA.

THE BEGINNING OF ROUTE 66

Route 66 begins in downtown Chicago, by the shore of Lake Michigan. This end of Route 66 presents an immediate challenge, since eastbound and westbound lanes are actually on separate streets. Westbound 66 follows Adams Street, while eastbound 66 is a block to the south, on Jackson. Since you don’t want to miss a thing, I suggest you drive on both streets to find as much of the old highway’s flavor as possible prior to leaving downtown.

Some of that flavor is to be found at Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant (565 W. Jackson Blvd.), a downtown Chicago eatery established in 1923, with its name spelled out in neon. It’s on eastbound 66 (westbound travelers can turn left off of Adams at DesPlaines, then turn left again onto Jackson). Don’t stop at Lou’s if you’re on a diet—patrons munch on free Milk Duds while waiting to be seated.

The easternmost end of Adams Street has as its landmark, the Art Institute of Chicago (111 S. Michigan Ave.), where countless American artists have received formal training. The Art Institute includes such famous works in its collection as Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Grant Wood’s American Gothic.

>> When you’re ready to leave Chicago and Lake Michigan, begin your adventure by proceeding west on Adams Street. Like all of the larger cities on Route 66, Chicago itself will not reveal much in the way of that Mother Road feel you are looking for—at least not when compared with the hundreds of smaller towns ahead of you. Cities like this were plotted out in the days well before automobile travel, so you and your car do not feel entirely welcome here.

Westbound Route 66 angles left (southwest) at Ogden Avenue, which is named for Chicago’s first mayor, William B. Ogden. He took office in 1837, at the time the city was first incorporated.

Continuing on Ogden, you will pass through the communities of Cicero and Berwyn.

  

CICERO–BERWYN

Here in Cicero once stood a large muffler man figure holding a hot dog in front of Bunyon’s. He ws relocated to Atlanta, Illinois year ago, but there’s still Henry’s Drive-In, with a sign featuring a hot dog with fries.

There’s not a great deal that differentiates Berwyn—it’s suburban Chicago. But do check out Berwyn’s Toys & Trains (7025 Ogden Ave.).

Berwyn is also home to a Route 66 Museum (7003 W. Ogden Ave.) that will help you kick off your Mother Road journey. There’s even an electric-vehicle charging station right out front.

SANTA MONICA

As you cross Centinela Boulevard on Route 66 (Santa Monica Boulevard), you enter the city of Santa Monica. Santa Monica Boulevard—and your run to the coast—abruptly ends at Ocean Avenue (although Route 66 actually turned left at Lincoln Boulevard and terminated at Olympic). Across Ocean Avenue is Pacific Palisades Park, where you should stroll around and relax now that you’ve come to the end of your journey. There is a small monument in the park dedicated to Will Rogers, which reads in part: “Highway 66 was the first road he traveled in a career that led him straight to the hearts of his countrymen.”

Popularly considered the symbolic end of Route 66, but technically blocks away, is the Santa Monica Pier, originally constructed in 1908. This may well be because the pier, with its large neon sign, is more photogenic than the true terminus on the nearby street corner. In keeping with the location’s status as the spiritual end of Route 66, a marker was dedicated in 2009 designating it as such. In the 1920s, Santa Monica had several recreational piers along its beach. This one was at one time called Ocean Park Pier, and when it reopened in 1958 as Pacific Ocean Park, there were more opening-week visitors than there had been at the grand opening of Disneyland three years earlier. Today, the pier includes a nine-story Ferris wheel, a five-story roller coaster, other rides, and midway-style games. Also here is the venerable Looff Hippodrome, named for carousel builder Charles Looff. Since 1916, the building has housed a hand-carved carousel. The one residing here currently is a 1922 model, which was brought here in 1946. The carousel was featured prominently in the 1973 movie The Sting, starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and was refurbished in 1981. The pier, much like Venice Beach to the south, is always awash with colorful local characters.

  

Santa Monica Attractions

Overlooking Santa Monica Canyon is the former home of composer Ferde Grofé (710 Adelaide Pl.). It was here that he composed his most famous work, the Grand Canyon Suite. The piece was originally titled Santa Monica Canyon Suite, but, fearing a lack of recognition, Grofé re-named it after the far more famous landmark. Grofé is also the man who wrote the world-famous orchestral arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin had written the piece, not for symphony, but for a small band, with blank spaces left in it for Gershwin’s own piano improvisations. Grofé was at that time the chief arranger for the Paul Whiteman jazz ensemble, for whom the piece was originally written. Whiteman’s famous band was also where a crooner named Bing Crosby spent his salad days as one of the “Rhythm Boys.”

The Museum of Flying (3100 Airport Ave.) features more than thirty vintage aircraft, some of which are in flight-worthy condition, all maintained on the site where Mr. Donald Douglas built the very first DC-3.

Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Ave.) is a collection of over twenty galleries housed in renovated warehouse spaces on approximately six acres in Santa Monica. Pieces include photography, paintings, sculpture, and more.

There’s a building in Santa Monica that may look vaguely familiar. The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1855 Main St.) was the regular site of the Academy Awards from 1961 to 1968.

The Galley restaurant (2442 Main St.) opened in 1934 and was popular with the likes of Errol Flynn. The restaurant has a seagoing theme, and features memorabilia from the 1935 film classic Mutiny on the Bounty.

Shirley Temple’s childhood home (924 24th St.) is also in Santa Monica.

The former City Hall (1438 2nd St.), constructed in 1873, is the oldest building of masonry construction in the city, and was designated a historical landmark in 1975.

The Annenberg Beach House (415 Pacific Coast Hwy) is a city-run public facility on five oceanfront acres. The facility is part of an estate originally developed by William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s, and it includes the rehabilitated guest house and pool, as well as new structures added during its conversion to public use.

The City of Santa Monica has prepared a “landmarks” tour brochure that includes a wealth of architectural sites of interest, including the Merle Norman Building (9130 Bellanca Ave.), the Vanity Fair Apartments (822 3rd St.), the Mayfair Theatre (214 Santa Monica Blvd.), and the Grofé residence cited above (710 Adelaide Pl.). Two-hour guided downtown walking tours are also conducted every Saturday morning at 10:00 am, beginning at the Hostelling International facility (1436 2nd St.).

Standing on the grounds of the Miramar Hotel (101 Wilshire Blvd.) is a century-old Moreton Bay fig tree with a story. It’s said that around 1890 or so there was a sailor in town with no money to pay his bar bill, so he paid the bartender with a young sapling instead. The sapling changed hands a couple of times, and then was eventually planted by the gardener of the Miramar estate, which stood where the hotel is now. The tree now stands about eighty feet tall near the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue.

Further Afield

Just northwest of Santa Monica is the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the south and U.S. 101 to the north. Included within this preserve is the Will Rogers State Historic Park (1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd.), which includes the home Rogers lived in from 1928 until his death seven years later. There is also a visitor center, nature center, corral, stable, polo field, and hiking trails on the grounds. Adventurous hikers and bikers can take the Backbone Trail into the Santa Monica Mountains. The trail goes all the way to Point Mugu, some seventy miles away.

South of Santa Monica is Venice Beach. This area is prime habitat for surfers, down-and-outers, muscle builders, skateboarders, and an abundance of other species. Venice was the brainchild of one Abbot Kinney, who envisioned cloning Venice, Italy, right here in Southern California. Canals were dug throughout the area from 1904 to 1905, and two dozen black, silver-prowed gondolas were imported from Italy to ply the waters here. A tourist in 1906 observed: “The architecture was the grandest, an intricate blend of Italian columns, porticoes, and balustrades, only slightly marred by the presence of guess-your-weight machines.” At some point, the Board of Health declared the canals a health hazard and ordered that they be filled in. In the 1950s, Venice had deteriorated to the point that Orson Welles used the area as the backdrop for the film A Touch of Evil.

Of course we have only touched on part of the incredible journey on Route 66. Take a trip that will change your life.

My grandson wrecked his Dyna. He thinks he went down on a slippery west side boulevard, but the bike looks like he was rear-ended, which launched his girlfriend. She was seriously damaged, but survived. He got scuffed and walked away.

He needed a place and some guidance with his ’05 Dyna. He could have sold it and moved on, but he was so impressed with the performance after Bennett’s Performance tuned it and added some S&S TC cams, he didn’t want to let it go.

Anyway, we rambled throughout the packed isles looking for parts and I came across a large flatbed truck and a line of new, bare rigid frames displayed in front. Great looking frames and I inquired. Kraft Tech only sells to distributors like Biker’s Choice, but they bring a few frames to the swap meet once in a while and the price was right. In fact the owner’s son, Chris, was on hand and he recognized me and offered me a better deal.

The frames were obviously set up for Evo engines and 5-speed transmissions, but looked almost stock. I couldn’t resist. We carried that frame up and down isles until we finally headed toward the exit with no Dyna parts, but the frame and a set of stock Softail tanks, which the frame was set up for.

As I meandered toward the exit, my cell phone rang. It was Brad Olsen, an old friend who recently scored an Oregon shop’s inventory and stashed it in a warehouse near a river leading to the sea. “Yo,” Brad said. “I need to recoup some of my investment. Do you need a Panhead engine?”

I about shit my pants. I had just scored a sharp rigid frame, a set of fatbobs, and I knew I had a 5-speed Softail transmission at the Bikernet Headquarters. What the fuck? Hell yes, I needed a Panhead engine!

As it turned out, the engine was seriously incomplete, but with a good twist. The ’69, last kidney, Shovelhead right case was mated to a ’79 left case, which would allow me to run an alternator and Evo (Baker tins) primaries. I hauled ass home from the swap and started to dig through drawers, cabinets, and lockers looking for parts.

I created a pile next to my lathe, but when I stood up, I wondered what the hell I needed another motorcycle for. That wasn’t the mystic point at all. Fuck it, I was inspired and on a roll.

Here’s a code that works for us bikers. I tell young guys all the time to start to create equity in your lives for your future. You can buy and turn houses. You can restore a car, write a book (not a good idea), paint a painting, etc. But if you’re a biker, building bikes is perfect. No, they are not always worth a bundle, but they are like putting money in the bank. Think about that the next time the ol’ lady bitches at you for building another motorcycle. How’s she doing to build equity for your future?

Even before the swap meet kicked me into gear, I was moved by Go and Tasumi at Brat Style in Long Beach. Michael Lichter introduced me to them, just down the street on the evil industrial west side of Long Beach. They build the coolest shit on the planet with a major twist. Everything is vintage, seriously vintage. Go can build a totally custom tank and install it on a ’39 Indian Scout frame, but by the time he’s done, you would bet that’s stock part and 70 years old.

What completes his bike building twist? It was his amazing painter, Deny 528. Maybe I should keep this a secret. But fuck it, it will slip out anyway. I hope to feature one of Deny’s bikes this week, a restored (don’t forget that word) 1946 Indian Chief.

I was gone. I couldn’t think of anything else but this Panhead project. I dug around and Mike from Pacific Coast Cycles came up with an oil tank. He’s a major fan of Kraft Tech frames. “Everything just slips together,” Mike said. And he’s also a major fan of Paughco springers. He has about a dozen rollers in his one-man shop. If you’re after a cool project, give him a call.

Daily, I made lists of needed parts and started to make calls. I couldn’t stop and then my grandson flew to Deadwood to be apart of Scott Jacob’s Artist Retreat. Suddenly he wanted to go to Sturgis. I came up with a plan. I rode to Sturgis and back last year, so this year, we could alternate the plan. How about taking two old bobbers to Sturgis for the kicks?

We could stuff them into the back of a van and cut a dusty trail, but they would need to be short and tight. We would take the Panhead and a Shovelhead I’ve had for years, built by the guys at Strokers Dallas under the boss, Rick Fairless. We were about to chop the Shovelhead some with a Paughco scalloped gas tank, bars, solid brass risers, and a Softail oil bag. That would do the trick.

The Sturgis 2017 plan boiled in our minds. Suddenly, I had a deadline. Oh, what the fuck? I was inspired by many factors, but I still needed a few pieces to make it happen.

The engine was missing a cam and most of the cam case elements. It needed a carb, intake, distributor, oil pump and I started digging around. I had a set of rebuilt Panheads, but they were early model and this puppy would need outside oilers. I started to ask around. I also needed the right year cam cover and I found one on line.

Berry Wardlaw from Accurate Engineering offered to help when I couldn’t find any through STD. Billy McCahill was having issues with his foundry and didn’t have castings. Berry checked with a couple of distributors and no one had any in stock.

Berry searched forums and then found a set on Ebay. I immediately ordered them from Wilson Cycles, Inc. in Roswell, GA, but when they arrived, I encountered a problem. One was perfect with valves, an O-ring intake manifold flange and the outside oiler boss. Unfortunately the other didn’t have an outside oiler fitting. It was an early model.

All right, we will deal with that problem, with Dr. Feng, our officially certified aluminum TIG welder. As it turned out, working with Ebay, I received a call from Billy McCahill, of STD and RSR, or Ryde Shop Racing. He’s like a mad scientist, but he said they made a mistake two years ago and shipped out this order to a shop in Georgia. They never heard a word until I surfaced. I hauled the internal oiler head to their Downey shop and they replaced it. I was there for 30 minutes and heard 30 industry stories, some of which I will share in the news. Amazing!

We hit the swap meet again and found a cop solo seat from a major seat guy, but he had a pristine stock seat. I had an old hinged fender from an early swingarm Pan. I knocked out the pin and installed the bobbed fender with the help of Lowbrow’s new universal fender brackets.

It’s strong as a bull and fit like a champ. My funky MIG weld didn’t hold a candle to the precision Kraft Tech TIG welds on the frame. Sorta embarrassing…

I dug out a Softail 5-speed transmission, but I’m trying to figure out the plate to mount it—I did today. I called Chris at Kraft Tech and quizzed him. I have a Paughco offset 5-speed plate but need a stock ’86-’99 Softail tranny plate for a 5-speed. There are so many configurations and Paughco has them all.

I want to write a tech about ordering frames and all the configurations available. It’s not just about rake and trail anymore or wide tires, but left and right side drives, which transmission, which set of gas tanks and the type of seat being used. The list goes on. Hopefully, if the Paughco crew can help out, and with Biker’s Choice, we can make it happen.

I found a wide glide front end at the swap meet,  Ultimately, I wasn’t happy with it, but we made it work, (I hope) with an old drum front brake. I found some neck bearings and replaced the junk one. I tore the whole front end apart and cleaned it. The Paughco axle did the trick to allow it to be installed. A local shop laced the star hub to an old 18-inch used aluminum rim.

I spoke to the guys at Spectro about which fork oil to run in the legs. Joe Russo recommended Fork Oil Type E. 20 SAE, since it’s a one-up light bobber. “Heavy two-up bikes would use the 40SAE,” said Joe.

The brothers at Paughco are the best and have the best. After digging through my shit, I needed just a handful of vintage parts and pieces from the Paughco factory, like the correct front axle for an early glide. I made the mount for an old spotlight out of a bracket I built for a Bonneville bike but never used.

I needed the right side rear brake lever, plate, return spring and plunger, but I had three Wagner master cylinders. This Kraft Tech frame was set up for a Softail style disc brake. Years ago, we installed PM brakes on Dale Gorman’s Softail and I ended up with his stock solid aluminum rear wheel and brakes. They would do the trick.

I had most of the pieces for the left side, except for one, and Paughco had it, the shift linkage arm. And I didn’t plan to run a dash, but I needed something for electrics, a switch, whatever. I ordered a Paughco universal tin toolbox and then discovered something wild at an antique store, a K-model motorcycle trophy and it’s a heavy casting.

The notion is to build a simple, easy to handle bobbed Panhead. But for some odd reason, finding an early automatic-advance distributor is not easy. I don’t want any extra bells and whistles on this bike, no advance and retard mechanism, jockey shift, etc. Then I found a Mallory electronic ignition system in a locker from our ’06 Bonneville effort. I spoke to Berry Wardlaw from Accurate Engineering and it will do the trick. I’m rocking.

I went through the front end from stem to stern, installed new bearings, cleaned it, drilled lightening holes in the brake backing plate, and found a set of stock configuration stainless bars and some goofy 4-inch aluminum risers using a stock cap. I’m still working on the cable, lever and cable adjuster. I called Barnett’s today.

The bike is already headed back together for Sturgis. If the paint and engine comes together I should be cool for the run. Hang on for the next report.

Sources:

Paughco

Pacific Coast Cycles, Long Beach

Barnett’s

Kraft Tech

Spectro

Baker Drivetrain
www.bakerdrivetrain.com

S&S

LowBrow

 

 

 

Ball-and-stick model of carbon dioxide (By Jynto [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons)

The “Global Warming Petition Project” includes a dramatically strong statement to which 31,487 scientists have already signed their names:

 

There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.

This is very strong statement. A vastly larger number of signers would sign a less-dramatic, less-controversial petition statement. Other scientists would only want to say that they remain undecided and are not part of the fabled “consensus.”

Similarly, most scientists would be discouraged from stating that increased carbon dioxide is actually beneficial to the climate. Therefore, most scientists who do not count themselves among the fabled “consensus” would not go so far as to sign this particular petition.

The petition includes the further statement, which relatively few scientists would sign on to, even if they reject a consensus on climate change. Most scientists would prefer to state that they do not know one way or the other:

^{We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar proposals. The proposed limits would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of mankind.}

The project website explains the project as follows:

^{These scientists are instead convinced that the human-caused global warming hypothesis is without scientific validity and that government action on the basis of this hypothesis would unnecessarily and counterproductively damage both human prosperity and the natural environment of the Earth.}

The project website states:

^{Realizing, from discussions with their scientific colleagues, that this claimed ‘consensus’ does not exist, a group of scientists initiated the Petition Project in early 1998.}

The project explains:

^{The purpose of the Petition Project is to demonstrate that the claim of ‘settled science’ and an overwhelming ‘consensus’ in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming and consequent climatological damage is wrong. No such consensus or settled science exists. As indicated by the petition text and signatory list, a very large number of American scientists reject this hypothesis.}

The project website further explains:

^{In PhD scientist signers alone, the project already includes 15-times more scientists than are seriously involved in the United Nations IPCC process. The very large number of petition signers demonstrates that, if there is a consensus among American scientists, it is in opposition to the human-caused global warming hypothesis rather than in favor of it.}

The hypothesis of man-made global warming is particularly controversial because there have never been any empirical experiments testing the effect of carbon dioxide in the open atmosphere. The hypothesis rests exclusively on computer models. Models are created by humans and merely reflect the assumptions and biases of the humans who create them. The only test of such models is whether they predict accurately future events. However, climate change models consistently fail to predict real-world temperatures. A real scientist would reject models that fail that acid test.

Although it is observed in the laboratory that CO2 absorbs and holds heat, how CO2 behaves in the open atmosphere in a planet-wide climactic system cannot be tested. One challenge is that atmospheric gases circulate freely. The air containing minor traces of CO2 can easily soar many miles up to high altitudes, where the thin air can radiate heat into outer space.

 

Earth’s orbit with 0.5 eccentricity. Although Earth’s orbit is never this eccentric, the illustration indicates the potential long-term effects on earth’s temperatures (By NASA, Mysid [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Another challenge is that researchers must distinguish any effects resulting from CO2 as opposed to natural climate cycles caused by variations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The Earth’s orbit changes from egg-shaped to nearly circular and back again due to the gravitational pull of the other planets. These overlapping Malkinovitch cycles affect the Earth’s climate over tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of years, causing periodic ice ages. The Earth’s temperature has changed over geologic history due to orbital variations affecting the distance to the sun throughout the year.

Science, of course, was effectively established by the “scientific method” popularized by Sir Francis Bacon in Bacon’s 1620 book Novum Organum. (Bacon rejected the thought experiment methods  from Aristotle’s Organum, which today’s post-modern scientists have returned to.)  The scientific method mandates that every hypothesis must be tested and proven by empirical experiments, and those experiments must be repeated and reproduced by many independent, unrelated teams of unbiased researchers under varying conditions in different locations.

Readers may recall “cold fusion.” Researchers at the University of Utah claimed to have discovered techniques for conducting nuclear fusion—the immensely-powerful nuclear engine that powers the sun—at room temperatures. This would have revolutionized human life everywhere. But the Fleischmann–Pons experiment could not be reproduced by other researchers. Even convincing scientific experimental results are not valid until replicated by independent teams.

The petition project was started by Frederick Seitz, Past President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and President Emeritus of Rockefeller University, and a former director of the atomic energy training program at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) National Laboratory, and former physics teacher at a number of top universities (now deceased).

Despite the death of its founder, the project drive is continuing to add names. However, a limited budget restricts how fast and thoroughly the petition list can grow.

Moreover, the current totals of 31,487 signers, including 9,029 PhDs, are limited only by Petition Project resources. With more funds for printing and postage, these numbers would be much higher.

A 12-page review article about the human-caused global warming hypothesis is circulated with the petition. New signatures are being collected by successors here.

Editor’s note:

I think we need to keep suggesting that those who ride motorcycles and especially those in Any Form of Motorcycle Business – Contact their elected officials and ask them to Support Cutting Funding To The EPA and to further change the emission levels on motorcycles Back to previous levels (for a start). There is a Serious Problem when Lawn Mowers Emit more emissions than motorcycles and Nothing is being done about that. NO, I Am Not Suggesting More Regulations on Lawn Mowers.

STOP THE CRAZYNESS COMING OUT OF THR EPA!!!! — Rogue and Bandit