Hang on for the latest Game Over Cycles (Poland) Cafe Racer customized for Hard Rock Cafe restaurant and it’s a bike combining motorcycle world with the world of music. The concept is expressed in construction containing parts, which look like instruments and music gear, but are also fully operational elements of the motorcycle.



“Musical” parts of the bike are: – rear swing-arm imitating guitar fretboard – blacked-out wheels with engraved tracks like on a vinyl record – air filter in the form of microphone – 7box in the shape of amplifier – exhaust system with adjustable sound and many more.



Last year at the European Bike Week 2016 in Faaker-See, Austria, the biggest bike festival in Europe, our motorcycle received three awards: Best Modified Harley, Best “Sportster” and prestigious audience award “People’s Choice Award”.



At the end of last year, the Hard Rock Cafe in Kraków, Poland, unveiled one of its rarest and most unique exhibits.



On October 21st 2016, the world-renowned US restaurant added a custom Harley- Davidson motorcycle to its collection of rock and roll artifacts. The Cafe Racer, developed by Polish custom bike company Game Over Cycles (GOC), shows just what happens when the motorcycle world and the music world collide.



Known for their groundbreaking ideas, the GOC crew started out with a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 and built it up into a symbol of the rock and roll lifestyle.

The rear swing-arm has been transformed into a guitar fret board, the battery box is shaped to look like a guitar amp. In fact, the bike is laden with custom parts that have been modified to represent instruments and music gear — but are also fully operational elements of the motorcycle. For example, the coil cover is in the shape of guitar, and its tremolo arm can be used to drop pressure and suck fuel into the carburetor.




The only standard part in this bike is the Sportster 883 engine. And, aside from the leather seat, all the motorcycle’s parts were created in the GOC workshop specifically for this project.




Founder and owner of GOC, Stanislaw Myszkowski, explains the concept of the motorcycle, “With every theme bike we make, we try to make it express the philosophy of our company. Detailed thoughts on concepts are as equal a part of the process as the precise execution of technical design.”

“In creating the Cafe Racer no detail was coincidental. The ideas for custom parts, their formation and their positioning all have a precise meaning within the concept of the bike. This requires creativity and unusual solutions, and the GOC team all played their part in making this unique bike a reality.”



The identity of the Hard Rock Cafe can be found deep within the organs of the Cafe Rider.



The gearshift, for example, is in the shape of a turntable’s arm — the bike shifts through gears in the same way a music fan switches through the tracks of their favorite records. And the bike’s wheels, blacked-out and etched with track names, spin like records on a turntable.



The exhaust system is designed like a saxophone, and these musical references go deep into the way the bike operates. Adjustable openings on the bike’s exhaust can adjust the sound of the bike, in the same way a musician adjusts the sounds of their sax. The bike’s engine breathes life into the exhaust just as a musician breathes life into a sax.



The bike’s air filter has been made in the shape of a classic vocal microphone. The air filter’s sponge interior allows adequate air flow – its design is informed by a microphone’s sponge filler which prevents external contamination and allows for greater clarity of recording.

References to the world of music are also present in other parts of the motorcycle.





The leather seat has been engraved with notes from the chorus of the classic AC/DC song “Highway to Hell”. This artwork is a direct representation of the highways leading into the city of Sydney, AC/DC’s hometown. The iconic 666 emblem, metaphorically emphasises the infernal imagery of the song.



Even the graphic design of the bike is unique and interwoven with symbolism. The graphics and painting by AEROGRAF Piotr Parczewski have an unusual, porous texture, giving the bike a tactile look, making you want to reach out and touch it. The gold flakes used for the Hard Rock Cafe logo evoke the US automotive industry’s “pinstriping” technique and are informed by the gilding of sacred structures.



But ultimately, the Hard Rock Cafe is a place to eat, drink, listen to music and rock out. And the GOC designers have created a bike perfectly suited to its environment. Indicators for measuring the speed and oil pressure imitate the dials of a coffee machine, while the infusion of the fuel tank looks and works like the closing of an old-fashioned whiskey flask.


Furthermore, the bike’s metallic parts are designed to compliment the famous ceiling at the Hard Rock Cafe in Krakow. Covered in drum cymbals, the ceiling reflects a golden light from their copper surfaces, and this is complimented directly by the metallic copper finish of the bike itself.



Finally, the GOC team have hidden subdued ambient bulbs in the bike’s lights to generate a cosy, ambient feel for the Hard Rock Cafe. Every part of this bike will contribute its own unique element of rock and roll energy to this world famous venue.






Custom parts made by GOC



Engine :

Engine covers
Rack cover with oil hoses mounting
Painting and electroplating of engine’s components



Frame :

Frame Type: Stock H-D modified by GOC
Front End Type: Stock H-D / Springer (upper triple tree by GOC )
Rear swing arm modified by GOC



Wheels Front: H-D Fatboy modified by GOC / 16-inch
Wheels Rear: H-D Fatboy modified by GOC / 16-inch



Other parts:

Fuel tank: Cafe tail section
Fuel and oil cap
Bars with risers
Levers and grips with mounting
Foot pegs with brake pedal and shift lever



Exhaust system
Oil tank
Front lamp with steel covers



Rear and front brake mounting
Air filter in the form of microphone
Coil cover in the shape of guitar (with a suction lever)
Battery box in the shape of amplifier
Clutch derby cover
Powder painting
Plating (patina, brass, copper)

Engine: Stock H-D Evolution, production year: 2004 capacity [cm3]: 883

Seat: Kamil Machula – KM leather design

Painting: (fuel tank, cafe tail section, front lamp): AEROGRAF Piotr Parczewski


 Awards:

– First place in the “Sportster” category and prestigious audience award — “People’s Choice Award” in the Harley-Davidson Custom Bike Show contest organized at the European Bike Week 2016 (Faaker-See, Austria)

– First place in the “Modified Harley” category in the Custom Chrome Europe Faaker See Championship at the European Bike Week 2016 (Faaker-See, Austria)


“Musical” parts of the bike are:

– rear swing-arm imitating guitar fretboard



– full wheels with engraved tracks like on a vinyl record

– leather seat with engraved chorus notes of song “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC

– air filter in the form of microphone



– coil cover in the shape of guitar with a suction mechanism, where tremolo arm also is used for carrying out suction in the carburetor

– battery box in the shape of amplifier

– exhaust system with adjustable sound

– shift lever imitating a turntable arm





Game Over Cycles is a Polish custom motorcycles manufacturer formed in 2012. The company is known for its original creations, such as The Recidivst – world’s first tattooed motorcycle and Behemoth Bike – a custom motorcycle created in collaboration with global Polish metal music legends Behemoth.

Machines created by Game Over Cycles have won awards at some of the world’s biggest custom bike competitions. In just four years, they’ve received eight awards at European Bike Week, having won the prestigious “People’s Choice Award” no less than four times.

European Bike Week is Europe’s largest open and free bike festival and one of the biggest in the world. The event has been organized annually in the Austrian village of Faaker-See and according to organizers’ data in 2016 the event saw an attendance of more than 120,000 visitors and 70,000 bikes from around the world.



Game Over Cycles:
www.gameovercycles.pl

Hard Rock Cafe Kraków
http://www.hardrockcafe.pl/krakow

KM leather design
http://www.kmleather.pl/

AEROGRAF Piotr Parczewski
www.aerograf.com.pl






— Chris Bienkiewicz
Phone Number: +48 882 061 648
Email Address: gocpress@gameovercycles.pl

The Grottoes, Virginia native took the National Championship last year and is continuing on his winning ways. The bike has a hybrid café and flat tracker style. The all metal tail doubles as an oil tank with a dramatic trio of hard lines feeding the engine.

Winner – #1150- Jeremy Cupp, LC Fabrications, LC Speedster – Custom Sportster
Runner Up – #1250 Robert Kelly, Bert’s Cycle & Fabrication – 1968 Stroker Shovelhead

Green Earth Technologies provides a product sponsorship in the Freestyle class with their portable power sprayer and green bucket of polishing and cleaning materials.

Modified Harley presented by Harley-Davidson Class

Rats Hot Wheels is Ross Latimer’s personal 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster that took 1st place in J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder MOD Harley class. It features a layer Custom Candy teal/ Hot Wheels paint scheme with a 1250cc Hammer Performance motor that makes 110+ HP. Ross did the fabrication, built his exhaust and painted the bike.

Winner – #1300 Ross Latimer, Rats Hot Wheels – 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster
Runner Up – #850 Angelo Slano, Bulldog Army – 2005 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy

Harley-Davidson is the presenting class sponsor, along with Harley-Davidson, J&M Motorcycle Audio and K&N Filters, providing product sponsorship.

Ben Davis of Legion Cycle Works rolled in his sano1979 Honda CB750 and rolled out with a win. The sled features a handmade fairings, GSXR1000 front end conversion, mono shock conversion, CR29 carbs and one off top triple tree engraved with a scene drawn by a DC comics artist. Additional components include the LED bars for headlights, spoke rim conversion, digital speedo and hidden starter button.

Winner – #875 Ben Davis, Legion Cycle Works – 1979 Honda cb750
Runner Up – #1050 Hank Thibodeau, Widowmaker CDR – 83 Kawasaki GPZ750

Royal Enfield is the presenting class sponsor, along with K&N Filters providing a product sponsor in the class.

Modified Custom Class

Sean Skinner of Motorelic built the motorcycle from an enthusiasts’ poll at caferacerxxx.com instagram page. The bike started out as a 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT.

Winner – #1375 Sasha Valentine, Motorelic- 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT

• Best Paint was awarded to #1175 Kelvin Dudenhoeffer for Evil Crusader, a 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide. Paint by Sinthium Custom Motorcycle Paint.

• The People’s Choice recipient was #1250 Robert Kelly with his 1968 Stroker Shovelhead. He won a Custom 500 lid from Bell Helmets and $100 gift certificate from J&P Cycles.

• Hank Thibodeau of Widowmaker CDR took the Ingenuity Award for Mushu Suzie, a custom 1983 Kawasaki GPZ750. It features a 6″ under wide glide leaf spring front end, a one-off headlight, bars, dual ram air intake, rear mounted gas tank and a 13″ seat height.

• The Originality Award went to #1000 Casey Harrington for his Prince tribute called Purple Rain. The bike is a 1981 HondaCM400A.

• Ross Latimer won the K&N Award with his 2002 Harley-Davidson Softail.

• SHO DOG is awarded to the individual that works the show to promote their business and the custom bike industry. Roy Chamberlain of C&C Cycles won the The Leatherworks solo chopper bag for his efforts.

With a New Year just underway, one canstart reflecting not only on the future but the past as well. It can get prettyinteresting when you’re looking back 75 years and start clicking offthe redlined high points. You also add in Father Time and Mother Gravitycalling in their chips. Case in point, Don Nowell of Don Nowell Design.

We’ve known about Don forsome 30-odd years…and there have been some really odd ones…but youcould say anything he touches turns to gold in one form or another…especially when horsepower, performance and innovative design figure into theproject at hand. When it comes down to it, Don is an “artist”in the real sense of the word, one gifted with an analytic mind and a workethic that nudges fanatical in its attention to details.

Let’s start from thebeginning. When we made the call to check on his current doings, we heard hisreply to our opening query “Is this the famous Don Nowell?”to which he replied “I think you’ve got the wrongnumber.” But before he could hang up, we explained the reason for ourvisit and started gathering the facts.

Don was born in Inglewood, CA on May22, 1941 at 4:30 in the morning. Since then he likes to get an early start. Byten he was earning money mowing lawns, hawking newspapers and selling flowerson the weekends. In Junior High during the ‘50s it gave him some cointo buy some nifty clothes. “It was all about impressing thegirls,” chuckles Don. “They were all wearing their poodleskirts and tight sweaters, so we guys had to look cool.”

His first wheels was naturally abicycle which he “hot-rodded” by placing playing cards inthe spokes to produce some “vroom-vroom.” Then in 1956 Donwas in high school taking shop classes where he earned his first award, winningBest in Class in a Rotary Club competition for his electric motor, the best of320 entries. “It was at this point I learned to operate a lathe. Ialso couldn’t resist hopping up that little motor, trying to get themost rpm out of it and had it smokin’ and jumping all over the bench.”You could say the die was cast, as this was Don’s first motor, one ofa long line of high performance engines that would power cars, bikes and boats.

Another milestone arrived at age 16,when after working his butt off after school at a model toy shop, he savedenough to buy his first car, a turnkey 1951 Chevy Bel Air coupe, paying a grandtotal of $325. “Most of my friends had ’49, ’50Fords but I just liked the look of the ’50- ‘51 Chevysbetter.” The car just had a stock 6-cylinder, but Don took it rightto the Cohia muffler shop in San Fernando and had it slammed to the ground witha spindle kit, leaving ¾ inches of inch ground clearance.” magazine to see whatLarry Watson was doing, his work just taking off.” But when he tookhis “low-rider” to Bob’s Big Boy in Van Nuys, hegot turned away. Only hot rods allowed. This was 1957, the year of Sputnik anda rapidly changing world.

Graduating high school, he wrangled ajob at the San Fernando based Tom Carroll Chevrolet as a lot boy handlingdeliveries. One day he spotted a spiffy ’59 Impala, white with aturquoise interior. It happened to be a repo and the price was tempting. SaysDon, “It came with a 3-2-barrel carbed 4-speed with a hydraulic camso it wouldn’t turn much rpm, but it was a pretty car, a neat car. Ipainted the wheels the color of the interior and street raced it all over theValley.”

Then one night, Don’s’59 got bested by a ghost white ’57 Chevy. Later he spottedthe car, now parked and went to investigate. “The owner’sname was Kenny Safford and we became best of friends. He later became famous asa fuel dragster racer. He was also a member of the Road Kings and I startedhanging out with those guys. It eventually brought me to a ’57 Chevywith a motor built by Ray Cash. I sold my Impala and got it. It was my firstserious street racer and skirt chaser.”

Since the motor had seen plenty ofracing and was a bit tired, Don decided to rebuild it, his first time tacklinga pro hot rod motor. When asked where he got the skills to do the wrenching,Don laughs again and says, “I didn’t. I just took the headsoff and started doing it. Rappa-rappa, I got it together.”

In late1960, Don took another quantumleap,  buying a ’37 Chevy Coupe bodied car was not in topform after being flogged at El Mirage and Don had to work his magic to get itup to snuff for the B Gas drags, choosing that class because it was the mostcompetitive with more cars to race. He then took part in the early NHRAsanctioned events and at independent ¼-mile drag strips at SanFernando, Long Beach and Irwindale. “My pit crew was me and my buddyJohn with my tow car tied with a rope. It was run what you brung.

 “The first time I raced the car at SanFernando, in September 1963, I ran 11.85 on an 11.84 record, beat everybody andtook a trophy home. That was a good day.”

 

People started taking notice, Don andhis dragster featured in the December 1965 issue of HotRod. It would also get him invited to join the HotRod crew for both the ’65 and ’66 events at theBonneville Salt Flats.  He would campaign his Gasser for four years,lastly setting the speed record in ’66 at Irwindale with 121.80 mphin B Gas.

Don was also slinging a hammer to helppay for work on his car, and things were getting pretty slow financially, butthen he got a call in April of ‘67 to work at engine shop, and notjust any shop, Don finding himself building Cam Am race motors at the famousengine shop run by Al Bartz. In fact Don was his first employee.

 

In the process he met a boat racer, TomPaterson, who also owned a helicopter company and ended up building parts forchoppers, including the very first Los Angeles TV station news helicopter, thatfor KTLA Channel 5. Asked if he got in some rides, he says, “No, Idon’t like to fly so wouldn’t have enjoyed that a bit.Airplanes are bitchin’ but I don’t like being up in theair.” But Don was still building car motors and flying as fast as hecould on terra firma, but he did step off onto the water.

Don found himself working on raceboats, even piloting his buddy Paterson’s 385 horsepower, 1300 lb.16-ft long “Crackerbox” class race boat aptly named“Sparkler” with its motor in the center, rider in the back.“It’d scare the wee out of you like an ocean going Sprintcar. We set the record at 95.70 mph in the Flying Kilo at the Colorado River.Tom’s now 88 and still racing boats.”

In 1969, Don got another of thosemilestone making phone calls, this time from the legendary racer and motojournalist Jerry Titus who wanted him to build his engines, 302 Chevy’swith cross ram manifolds, to race the last part of the season. Titus also racedfor Carroll Shelby winning championships in ’67 and a class victoryat the ’69 24 Hours of Daytona. Sadly, Titus aka “Mr. TransAm,” would die in a 1970 crash during the Trans Am race at RoadAmerica.

When asked when he got intomotorcycles, Don points to 1964 when he bought his first bike, a Yamaha 80motocross, then wanting more power went for a 175 Montesa for blasting out intothe desert and through the canyons. Says Don, “Back then people wererunning imported Greeves and the Dots fitted with Blooie pipes, basicallystraight pipes and you could them making bitchin’ music playing offthe canyon walls, but then they went to those expansion chambers for more powerbut they sounded like bumble bees.”

In 1970 he met up with a young guynamed Terry Dorsch who raced AMA Grand Nationals, mostly flat track events onTriumphs against the likes of John Hateley. Terry had ordered a Trackmasterframe and it was specially marked with #1 on its bottom.

Don built the frame out of .049 chromemoly tubing, tipping the scale at a mere 15 lbs. plus a 4 lb. swingarm. SaysDon, “That was a cool thing, building that frame from scratch, a realeducation.” Into that frame Don stuffed a rare Honda factory shortrod, big bore 350cc motor made for the Baja 1000 race. “I justhappened to get one of those trick engines with its sandcast barrel. I got somemetric wrenches and took it apart. The cylinder had a quarter inch lining, so Ibored that baby out to 385. The frame was nickel plated, the gas tank yellow,the seat upholstered in metallic blue Naugahyde. It was some bike, but thenYamaha came out the TT500 and I just had to have it, so like a dummy I sold myHonda, and I still wonder where it is today.”

During the ’70s while working on his race motor builds,Don figured necessity was the mother of invention. Since it was a mother tryingto get the angles of a valve job to meet exactly which then determines thediameter of the valve and where it seats, he came up with a tool of his own design,calling it Qwik-Seat, and it made the job much easier. Gaining a patent, hesold them to machine shops all over the country.

Jumping to 1975, Don took anothercreative tangent when he was signed on by the late J.B. Nethercutt, wealthyowner of Merle Norman Cosmetics, to restore one of his 250 rare classic cars,now on public display at the San Sylmar Museum. In this case, the project was a1923 McFarlan, the chauffeur driven Knickerbocker Cabriolet Twin-Valve Sixoriginally owned by the silent screen star Fatty Arbuckle who went down inflames after a major scandal.

Says Don, “I worked on thatcar every day for four months at the museum’s workshop. It had comeout of the paint shop with just the bare body, so I put everything else onit…all the metal pieces, the bright work, glass…fabricatedthe front grill guard, the tail lights, you name it. The car, painted a ketchupcolor, won a Best of Class at the 1975 Pebble Beach. I was standing there nextto the car when I heard a familiar sounding voice say, can you open the door,I’d like to look at the interior. I turn around and there’sClint Eastwood. And I said, sure, you bet. He looks inside, and he says, thankyou. And I say, oh, you’re welcome.” It sure rounded out acool day. Then later, Mr. Nethercutt came up and said, “Put your handout. I want to give you a good handshake for turning my old truck into a showwinner.”

It was the first recognition of histalents, nor far from the last. 

In 1978, while hanging out with TerryDorsch at a party, Don met up with veteran screen actor Bobby Carradine whotold Terry he had a Triumph he wanted to put together. When Terry looked at theTrackmaster frame, he noticed it had #1 stamped into it…so it was hisfirst frame from back in the day. Terry was pretty busy so asked Don if hewanted to handle the project. “I asked how they wanted the bike tolook and they said, just do it like you were building it for yourself. Now inhigh school I had drawn sketches of my dream Triumph and Bobby said go for it.It took two years but I got it done, a real race bike, the real deal.

As Don recalls the moment with hisusual photographic memory when Carradine first through a leg over the bike, hesays, “He’s wearing cowboy boots, pressed Levis, crisp whiteshirt, leather jacket with fur collar, shades, a scarf, no helmet, the bikewafting the distinctive aroma of Castor bean oil, it’s thepre-requisite Lee Marvin/Keenan Wynn classic attire for an actor blasting downSunset Boulevard. One kick and the bikestarts…rappa-rappa!…and he’soff blasting down Sunset Boulevard. Bobby’s riding his dream bikes,laying it over in the corners, wide open megaphone growling.  One ofthe better days in my life! And we got the photos. The Triumph was featured asa center fold in an issue of Motorcyclist. Bobby still hasthat bike, almost 40 years later.”

Then Don took yet another jog in theroad, trying out a bit of “downsizing” when he wascontracted by Fred Thompson, the new owner of the famous Los Angeles basedSmith Miller Toy Company (circa 1948-55), known world-wide for their largescale model trucks, beautifully crafted and very expensive, even more so ascollectibles when the company faded out. Getting things going again in 1979,Fred asked Don to turn a flatbed trailer into a low-boy to carry a Doepke D-6Caterpillar Tractor, another top end classic toy. Using vintage photos to takemeasurements, Don made a balsa mock-up, then a metal version as the finalprototype prior to production. In the process he also designed and built apumper fire truck. scale, the largemodels measured from 22-48 inches long. Don laughs and says, “It wasup to me to figure how A fit into B, and I built 20 trucks, about one newdesign a year, both prototype and production, for the 20 years, producing abouta 1000 trucks at my shop in the first three years. The rebirth of the SmithMiller company proved immensely successful, eventually producing 48 differenthand assembled trucks, much sought after in limited editions. Fashioned in 1/16^th  scale.

Now into the 1984, Don found time tobuild another fire-breathing motorcycle. In this case, it was commissioned byMichael Bowen, another Hollywood actor, and half-brother to Bobby Carradine.The BSA triple project featured a Marzocchi front end as well as a motor beefedup with an 840cc kit by hyper motor guru Jack Hateley. During the build, Dondesigned and fabricated a bunch a neat components as well as the 3-into-1 pipe.The badboy Beezer was also featured in a 1986 issue of Motorcyclist,the magazine recognizing the quality of Don’s work.

Then another quirk of fate occurred.While perusing model vehicle magazines, Don noticed the high-end car modelsgaining attention for French and Spanish artisans. “It got my wheelsturning to try my hand at world class models. But I didn’t know whatto build. Those guys already had a foot hold in car models.” Butwhile talking with his buddy at the aforementioned dental company, he heard himsay, Well, you big dummy, why don’t you build a Harley model.“Yeah, cool, okay, and I thought a ¼ scale, two-foot longman-sized model would be the real deal. So I got it going, that was in1994.”

The prototyping alone took 13 months,the design based on the Harley-Davidson Softail with the Evo motor. Previously, his only scratch-built bike building experience was with the Hondathumper and now he was going from full-scale to quarter-scale. So how to makeit happen? It turned out that Nick Ienatsch, now well-known in the pages of Motorcyclist, was dropping by in the evenings to earn afew extra bucks by doing some spot-welding work on the model cars Don had beendesigning. Don says, “I go up to Nick and say, where’s yourHarley. He says it was at his Dad’s house in Salt Lake City. I toldhim I needed a bike to get dimensions. He says hold on, and a few minutes laterI get a call from Frank Kaisler the Editor atMotorcyclist. I told him my story. Later that day, he gaveme a brand new Softail and I rode it around for a week. I started measuring thelength of frame, the swing arm pivot, head stock angle, all the dimensions andthen divided it by four, took my blueprint paper and started drawing. Ialso got the dimensions from a set of brand new S&S cases. At Mondaynight bike gatherings at a burger stand in Van Nuys, I’d meet Frankwho’d bring me a part, an oil pump, a hand lever, whatever I neededto get my measurements to make an exact scaled bike.” 

Get out the magnifying class. Forexample, Don made the swingarm pivot bolts, the rear and front axle bolts andnuts, the front end bolts, the head stem bolts…all cut from stainlesson his lathe and milled to attach the 1/16^th inch Allenheads, then polished each tiny piece and we’re talking 152 miniaturescrews for each bike. Talk about labor intensity, just to make the rear axlesleeve nut, it took 55 separate moves. The frame parts alone took months ofmachining. In this case when they say big things come in small packages, theyweren’t whistlin’ Dixie.

 

Don wanted the bike to“feel” right as well as look right. So the swing arm moveswith 3/4 inch of travel as does the front fork. The left hand leverincorporates a spring for the operational feel of a clutch lever. The rightlever is fitted with a rubber o-ring so that as you squeeze on it, you feelresistance, replicating the feel of a front brake lever, the same for thefootbrake lever. For the shift lever, there’s a balldétente, so you click-up, click-down, echoing gear changing, againlike a real bike.

 

He went so far as to upholster theseats in real leather, added .040  of an inch diameter individual polishedstainless spokes laced to the wheels. He also contacted the Avon Tire Companyin England to secure permission to cast from molds exact rubber miniatures oftheir tires including their logos, and the Avon people graciously agreed, eagerto see the finished product themselves. To thank them, Don handmade a uniquepen and pencil set incorporating the polished wire wheel and mounted tire. Donchuckles and says, “The Avon honcho wrote back saying “Youreally screwed me. Now I have to buy a brand new desk because your pen andpencil set is so nice.”

In 2000, with the dawn of newmillennium, Don shipped a specially commissioned Knuckle version of his modelto the Motor Company in Milwaukee, this before the new Harley-Davidson museumwas completed, so it was kept in their archives department until moved to thenew museum upon its opening in July 2008.

The paint for his bikes was variouscandy pearls, except for the Harley-Davidson Museum model. They wanted aKnuckle chopper that looked like something a guy would have built at home in1960. There was a custom red scalloped, yellow paint job, but no polish on thecases, the barrels black, aftermarket open primary, just like back in the day.

 

A motorcycle fan in Germany noticedDon’s creations in a local magazine and just had to haveone…to the point that one day he arrived at Don’shouse/work shop in Granada Hills, CA and “went shopping”and upon up close and personal inspection it turned out that he had to have notone, but three…including a black Fatboy based on his own bike andalso a Knucklehead created in the likeness of the iconic Capt. America chopperseen in the classic 1969 film Easy Rider.

2017 and DonNowell’s “Engineered Art Worth Its Weight inGold”

Says Don during our most recentconversation with him, “For a long time I’ve been wantingto build some art for the real art world. I had tried some stuff with the bikesI built, pieces out of wood and aluminum but that didn’t fly, so putthe pieces back in the drawer. But after I took some hard knocks includinglosing both my Mom and Dad and then my lady friend and most recently, in Marchof this 2016, seriously injuring my back which was keeping me mostly bedridden,I was feeling pretty low. I knew I needed to do something to get back on myfeet mentally, something that turned a new leaf, to step in another directionbesides the gearhead arena…so I put head together to create someworld class art.”

“I wanted something bothplain and elegant at the same time. Something that drew your eye and kept it,something that wowed your senses. So I gathered rare woods from South America,Africa and Australia, all with awesome colors and grains. I’m a woodnut and love the grain, and found that the use of clear coating really makes itpop, a mile deep… there’s nothing like it.

Don’s premiere piece wastitled “GoldBlades” and in part was inspired by the vintagemirrors and golden pocket watches he had seen during his experiences at theNethercutt Museum. Deciding to employ blade shapes and gold to create thereflections he sought, Don took out his French curve templates and startingdrawing, counting on the smooth transitions the forms allowed. After makingsome full sized sketches, he started making parts, finally sending the parts tothe platers, focusing on the ultimate richness of 24K gold matched to a blackgranite finish for contrast. Says Don, “When it all came together, itexceeded my expectations, the gold having this rich, rosy finish that isstaggering when amplified by the reflections playing back and forth from anyangle your view it from.”

 

As for his choice of materials, Donsays, “You can’t ask for anything better than MotherNature’s finest… gold…and the trickest woodsavailable. There’s nothing like seeing the gold and woodstogether…it’s the best of the best.” Toward thatgoal he opted for 7075T6 billet aluminum, the hardest you can get but also thebest for acquiring the 24K highly polished gold plating. The choice of woodsoffered include Maple, Walnut, Burbinga burl, Tasmanian Resin Vein Eucalyptus,Buckeye burl, American Redwood and others, all finished to perfection.

These GoldenWood and GoldenBlade modelsare currently available with more designs in the work. In addition to fine artcollectors, it would seem they would also lend themselves well as exceptionalcorporate gifts or even as exceptional awards of achievement.

Post-script:

NCOM BIKER NEWSBYTES
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,

As the 115th Congress went into session, among the first bills reintroduced was the RPM Act (Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2017), House Resolution 350 sponsored by U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC).  The bipartisan bill, which was submitted for reintroduction on the first day of the new Congress, protects Americans’ right to modify street cars and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles and industry’s right to sell the parts that enable racers to compete.

The RPM Act ensures that transforming motor vehicles into race vehicles used exclusively in competition does not violate the Clean Air Act.  For nearly 50 years, the practice was unquestioned until the EPA published proposed regulations in 2015 that deemed such conversions illegal and subject to severe penalties.  While the EPA withdrew the problematic language from the final rule making last year, the agency still maintains the practice is unlawful.

Motorsports competition involves tens of thousands of participants and vehicle owners each year, according to SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) and retail sales of racing products make up a $1.4 billion market annually.  There are an estimated 1,300 racetracks operating across the U.S., including oval, road, track and off-road racetracks, the majority of which feature converted race vehicles that the EPA now considers to be illegal. 

The RPM Act, H.R. 350 would protect the sport of racing by blocking the EPA from over-regulating the industry and ensuring that it remains legal to convert street legal motor vehicles for racing purposes.

BRITISH MOTORSPORTS THREATENED BY EU RULING
The British government has just issued a document for public consultation that suggests temporarily implementing a European Court decision known as the “Vnuk judgement,” which would make it compulsory for anyone engaging in any and all forms of motor sport to have third party insurance. It would be applicable to all vehicles on any kind of land and even implementing it temporarily would mean an end to motorsports in the UK, because insurance companies will not insure against third party motorsport risks — the number of vehicle claims alone would be unsustainable for them, meaning that if the Vnuk judgement came into force, motorsport activity in the UK would cease.

A joint statement issued by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA), Auto Cycle Union (ACU) and the Amateur Motorcycle Association (AMCA) is calling on the government to exempt motor and motorcycle sport from any changes to insurance law that would arise from the ECJ ruling. “At a stroke, this would wipe out a successful industry and all the jobs that go with it, as well as eliminating a popular leisure pursuit for 1.9 million people, along with the boost that this gives to both local and national economies,” said Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA, speaking on behalf of all three parties. “If the government implements the Vnuk judgment un-amended, British motorcycle sport would end in the UK.”

England is home to world leading motorcycle companies, motorsport teams and racing talent, and the industry contributes significantly to the British economy by employing over 50,000 people and generating a total of £11 billion of sales each year ($13.5 billion USD).

The Vnuk ruling stems from a case involving a Slovenian farm worker, Damijan Vnuk, who was hurt falling from a ladder, which was hit by a reversing tractor.

VICTORY MOTORCYCLES WINDS DOWN PRODUCTION
Victory Motorcycles is to be wound down, the firm’s parent company Polaris has just announced. The move is to allow the firm to “narrow” its focus onto more profitable areas of the business, including Indian Motorcycle.

A statement just released by Polaris says it will “immediately begin winding down its Victory Motorcycles brand and related operations.” Dealers will be assisted in “liquidating existing inventories” and parts will continue to be supplied for 10 years. Servicing and warranty coverage will also continue.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision for me, my team and the Polaris Board of Directors,” said Polaris Industries Chairman and CEO Scott Wine. “Over the past 18 years, we have invested not only resources, but our hearts and souls, into forging the Victory Motorcycles brand… The experience, knowledge, infrastructure and capability we’ve built in those 18 years gave us the confidence to acquire and develop the Indian Motorcycle brand, so I would like to express my gratitude to everyone associated with Victory Motorcycles and celebrate your many contributions.”

According to the written statement, Victory has “struggled to establish the market share needed to succeed and be profitable.”

It says: “The competitive pressures of a challenging motorcycle market have increased the headwinds for the brand. Given the significant additional investments required for Victory to launch new global platforms that meet changing consumer preferences, and considering the strong performance and growth potential of Indian Motorcycle, the decision to more narrowly focus Polaris’ energy and investments became quite clear.”

Wine added, “This decision will improve the profitability of Polaris and our global motorcycle business, and will materially improve our competitive stance in the industry.”

“Our focus is on profitable growth, and in an environment of finite resources, this move allows us to optimize and align our resources behind both our premium, high-performing Indian Motorcycle brand and our innovative Slingshot brand, enhancing our focus on accelerating the success of those brands. Ultimately this decision will propel the industry-leading product innovation that is core to our strategy while fostering long-term growth and increased shareholder value.”

100% TARIFF PROPOSED ON EUROPEAN MOTORCYCLES
Motorcycles are once again caught in the crossfire of an international trade policy standoff between the Office of United States Trade Representative and European Union, stemming from ongoing disagreements over meat products. During the late 1990’s, the World Trade Organization requested the E.U. lift its standing ban on U.S. beef; the E.U. declined, citing the meat’s failure to meet European health and hormone standards. In 2009, the U.S. negotiated a pact allowing some beef market access; but according to the White House, the agreement “has not worked as intended.”

As a result, the U.S.T.R. is now considering a new petition from the U.S. beef lobby, invoked last December under a revised clause in the 1974 Trade Act that would create a “retaliation list” of foreign products which are subject to heavy import tariffs, to balance the export losses. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. beef lobby’s list consists largely of meat and animal parts, but it also includes a scattershot of other items, like chewing gum, electric hair clippers, and motorcycles.

Two vehicular tariffs are proposed on the new retaliation list. One is for European bikes between 51cc and 250cc; the other, European bikes between 251cc to 500cc. Both would be subject to an import tax of 100% (or more). This would directly impact fifteen European manufacturers, including major brands like Aprilla, BMW, Ducati, Husqvarna, KTM, Piaggio and Vespa.

In doubling prices of the most popular European motorcycles, these tariffs could potentially cripple the U.S. dealer network, putting thousands of salespeople and techs out of work.

It’s not the first time the motorcycle industry has been in this position. In 1999, after the E.U. declined the W.T.O. directive, European motorcycles were included in — and later dropped from — a similar retaliation list. The same thing happened again in 2008, leading into negotiations for the current deal.

The beef lobby’s new petition is currently in the review phase, and the U.S.T.R has opened the proposal to a public comment period ending January 30.

“DEAD RED” LAW PASSES IN OHIO FOR ALL VEHICLES
During a three-week lame-duck legislative session that ended in mid-December, state lawmakers in Ohio passed more than fifty new laws, including House Bill 154: Under certain conditions, drivers (and riders) can now proceed through a red light if you think your vehicle is not tripping the signal to change, but only if the intersection is clear. If a malfunctioning traffic signal doesn’t detect your car, truck or motorcycle; the law states that your vehicle must come to a complete stop first, and after a reasonable amount of time you can proceed through the intersection as long as the coast is clear and you must yield to oncoming traffic with the right of way.“If a driver does go through a red light, and there is an accident, they have the burden to prove it was malfunctioning,” explains local A.I.M. attorney (Aid to Injured Motorcyclists) Ralph C. Buss. “If a motorist or motorcyclist, or bicyclist, does come across a light that isn’t working, it is recommended that they should call police.”
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) invites Bike and Motorcycle riders to contact an ODOT advocate to report problems with traffic signals and roadway conditions via Email to bike.report@dot.state.oh.us or call (614) 387-0722.

ARIZONA “PAY FOR PLAY” HELMET LAW PROPOSAL
A bill has been introduced to require motorcycle riders in Arizona to wear a helmet, except that “AN OPERATOR OR PASSENGER OF A MOTORCYCLE, ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE OR MOTOR DRIVEN CYCLE WHO IS AT LEAST EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE IS EXEMPT FROM THE HELMET REQUIREMENT PRESCRIBED BY SUBSECTION A OF THIS SECTION IF THE OWNER PAYS A FEE (amount to be determined) WHEN REGISTERING THE VEHICLE.”

According to HB 2046, introduced by Representative Dr. Randall Friese (D-Tucson), “THE FEE ALLOWS A PERSON TO OPERATE THE MOTORCYCLE, ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE OR MOTOR DRIVEN CYCLE WITHOUT WEARING A HELMET AND ALLOWS A PASSENGER TO RIDE ON THE CYCLE WITHOUT WEARING A HELMET.”

“Amending this statute would require all 200,000 motorcycle riders in Arizona to wear a helmet or be subjected to a fine of Five Hundred dollars which three hundred would be going towards Rep. Friese and his friends and their spinal cord trauma practices,” explains Michael Infanzon, lobbyist for ABATE of Arizona. “We have seen Rep. Friese try this game year after year and Arizona motorcyclists have succeeded in stopping this infringement on our right to choose to wear a helmet or not.”

ALLSTATE O.N.E. PROGRAM TEAMS UP LOCALLY TO HELP RIDERS
It’s a case of Bikers Helping Bikers, as longtime rider Jason Large of Jackson, Ohio wanted to help protect riders on the major Ohio state route he lives on. Allstate Insurance was inspired by Jason’s desire to help keep his fellow riders safe and coincidently, have their own campaign with just this goal in mind.

Allstate’s Once is Never Enough (O.N.E.) program is an awareness campaign created to help reduce the number of motorcycle crashes involving other vehicles at intersections by encouraging motorists to “look twice, because once is never enough”.

Through the O.N.E. program, a yellow diamond-shaped “Watch for Motorcycles” warning sign was created in 2009 following two years of development, which has resulted in 179 signs installed at dangerous intersections in 41 different U.S. cities across 21 states.

WEIRD NEWS: WOMEN ARRESTED FOR RIDING A MOTORCYCLE
Iranian police arrested two women for riding a motorcycle in a western city — an incident that went viral when images appeared online and sparked a social-media backlash against the country’s political and religious authorities.

State news agency IRNA said the two women were detained in Dezful, whose law enforcement chief, Ali Elhami, accused them of committing an “ugly” act that breaks the “religious norms” of the conservative Islamic-led nation.

IRNA quoted Elhami as saying he ordered the women’s arrest after online images of the two women riding the motorcycle and being surrounded by male onlookers at a local park prompted complaints about the women’s dress, appearance and interaction with the men. The two women will be judged for breaking “revolutionary norms and values.”

Women in Iran are barred from obtaining licenses to drive motorcycles in public.

QUOTABLE QUOTE:“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”~ John Cage (1912-1992), American composer, philosopher & artist

June 2013: NSA Scandal and Snowden’s revelations on lack of privacy and rights of American citizens has led novel ‘1984’ Sales Rank to no. 5 on most selling titles this week.

 

George Orwell introduced the world to the idea of Big Brother, doublethink, and newspeak in his celebrated and prophetic novel ‘1984’.

A divided America has the world at panic with everyone and their pet dog uncertain about the future of the promised land of USA. But what does this bold new future mean to us bikers with our nomad lifestyle and love of everything that is good and pure. We were once bracketed with hippies and freethinkers. Now we are labelled as patch wearing misfit outlaws and one-percenters.

Well, a brief and graphic illustration of this dystopian future is available in 2000 novel by Keith Randall Ball titled Sam ‘Orwell’ Chopper in reference to George Orwell’s classic masterpiece ‘1984’.

Exploding from the page with images like metal etched in acid and loaded with non-stop action like the relentless drive of a jackhammer, CHOPPER ORWELL is nothing short of a throttle-open, nitro-fueled prophecy about motorcycles, freedom and America. From its first riveting scene to its heart-hammering conclusion, the suspense-saturated story takes the reader on an unforgettable, road-blistering adventure of fast bikes, fast women, fast action – and a surprise around every turn of the highway. So hang on for the ride of a lifetime. 

In this 21^st century biker fiction, your refrigerator will tell you how many eggs you can eat and your local Mayor will dictate where you should take a vacation this year. Funny thing about free men is that when you enslave them, they can tell the difference. Hence, while millions of American citizens nod their head and obey their overbearing all-controlling government, the small one-percenter population of Bikers have to take it upon themselves to fight for freedom – to fight for America.

 

Keith Randall Ball’s Sam Chopper Orwell is a novel like a stroker ride with no front brakes. The fiction closely parallels facts of today. Personal liberties are now a national security threat and the Federalized Government owns your Karma. The better-than-thou law enforcement gestapo will crush any and all who don’t obey the whims of the politicians now drafted into “Law”. You are no longer governed by the State. You are “REGULATED BY THE STATE”.

“A country with too many laws, is a country with too many problems.”- Codrut Magheru

“The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.”- Lao Tzu (604 B.C. to 531 B.C.) 

Censorship never worked. Prohibition never worked. European nations such as Portugal and Netherlands that legalized cocaine and LSD only saw a drastic drop in crime, drop in drug addiction and complete elimination of corruption and money laundering related to drugs smuggling and networking. Less money for the terrorists. Taxes earned on sale of marijuana. If your absurd government says tobacco cigarettes are okay and legal and valid tax revenue sources and then tells you that you are junkie criminal for smoking marijuana, you should demand proof of claims from such a government.

In fact, Marijuana is a well-known medicine in Ayurveda sciences of India and among Native Americans of North America. 

The predictions in Keith Randall Ball’s novel from 2000 are no longer a fictitious prediction. These are ground realities of 2017. They are happening and they are being accepted as “Okay” by the masses. By your neighbours. By your friends and fellow voters. Sam Orwell Chopper is a book written at the turn of the millennium which has now manifested itself as a clarion call for freedom from oppression as seen in the true state of Bikers everywhere in the world. 

Go out and buy one and GIFT ONE TO YOUR ASSHOLE SENATOR!!!

Ride On!

–Ujjwal Dey

Raging Rabid Editor at http://Trikes.bikernet.com

Billy, Tim, and I have extensive history together and it was good to hang with these guys again.

It had been while staying in Palm Springs just over a month earlier that I’d been contacted by a motorcyclist/actor. Justin Chatwin is a Canadian actor who’s probably best known for playing Tom Cruise’s son in ‘War of the Worlds’. He’s also had staring rolls in ‘The Invisible’, ‘Dragonball Evolution’ and supporting rolls in ‘Taking lives’, ‘SuperBabies’ and the Canadian film ‘Funkytown’. Justin also does a lot of TV and is well known for his work on ‘Shameless’. Prior to that he had guest appearances on ‘Taken’, ‘Lost’, and ‘Orphan Black’. So I guess this guy’s pretty successful. Anyway, he’d invited me to visit him in some nowhere high-desert town near Yucca. Justin had said he’d buy me a burrito and my response was, “Better be a damn good one if I’m gonna leave warmth Palm Springs and come up there where it’s cold!”, but I’d ridden the 30 miles anyway, and that burrito had turned into a swanky steak dinner. I’d learned that, although he’d spent 13 years in Hollywood kick-starting his career, Justin hated cities and very much preferred small nowhere places. He’d also told me that, although he loved his job, motorcycles were his real passion. Justin was interested in the book manuscript I’d written but seem unable to get published, and asked for a copy. I gave him one with a request that, if he actually read the thing, he’d circle rough spots and write down comments. After all, the manuscript was unedited.

 

 

 

 

 

By the following morning we all sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and I found it fun to have a bonafide actor serve me breakfast in the little house on the hill.

Our gathering would end today. Billy and I were ready to roll and Justin had other obligations. It was late morning as Billy and I rode out while Justin followed in the pickup to grab a few photos. Eventually though, he returned to the block house as we continued along the tiny snaking road that led onward to the sea.

Big wheels, big paint and classic drag-bike attitude meet modern refinement. Then we stuff it brimful with raw power. What do you bet, next year with the new M-8 engine.

Feast your eyes on the Breakout. Its profile is low, stretched out and undeniably aggressive. We top it with drag bars and enhance its custom look with 21-spoke Turbine wheels. The High Output Twin Cam 103B engine delivers loads of torque to a wide 240mm rear tire. ABS comes standard. Go out and put a hard pounding on the pavement. It doesn’t get any better.

I’ll never forget the first one I saw. Ben Lambeouf road tested one and rode it to the Bikernet Headquarters. I was blown away. Stock bikes don’t look this good. At last, the Factory nailed this one, albeit maybe a decade late. Hell, the wide tire craze was long gone, but what the hell. A good looking chopper is hot whenever it hits the streets.

Get an eyeful of a Softail motorcycle and you see more than some weepy-eyed exercise in nostalgia. You’re looking at the kind of style that has the power to defy time. Honest. Uncluttered. So, how could you improve on the classic styling? I only see two obvious upgrades, the seat and bars. Sure you could add some bling accessories, but just a new Le Pera seat and a set of custom apes would make this a hard-riding street fighter anywhere and it’s damn near stock—amazing.

Here’s the classic line-up from Le Pera, and if you want to go beyond what you see here you can order stitching to match your paint or even exotic materials. Check out the best of the traditional best.

BARE BONES—SOLO

Overview

Killer “Spring Mounted” look!

Yes, that means a bit of the mechanics of the bike are exposed. You will notice the seat lines don’t follow the strut, as if the seat were spring mounted.

Its minimal, slammed to the ground stance adds the finishing touch to these bitchin bikes.

Specs

Driver Seating:
10.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
N/A

MSRP:
$268.00

Part Number:
LKB-007

BARE BONES—UP FRONT

Overview

The Up Front moves you 2″ closer to the handlebars than the standard Bare Bones.

Killer “Spring Mounted” look!

Yes, that means a bit of the mechanics of the bike are exposed. You will notice the seat lines don’t follow the strut, as if the seat were spring mounted.

Its minimal, slammed to the ground stance adds the finishing touch to these bitchin bikes.

Specs

Driver Seating:
10.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
N/A

MSRP:
$268.00

CHEROKEE—DIAMOND SEATING

Overview

With its pure Bobbed & Chopped, King/Queen lines and incredible lower back support for the driver, the Cherokee offers the throwback look your Softail was born to have.

Specs

Driver Seating:
12.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
6.5″ Wide

MSRP:
$499.00

Part Number:
LKB-020DM

DAYTONA—SPORT

Overview

Cafe racer styling with 12.5″ of rider comfort and 7″ of lower back support, perfect for all day cruising.

Specs

Driver Seating:
12.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
N/A

MSRP:
$412.00

Part Number:
LKB-540

SILHOUETTE

Overview

The Silhouette is the original trendsetter in form and function.

All styling details taken straight from the Softails tank, fender and struts.

Completely transforms your bikes’ profile – every edge is smooth and rounded.

It is the first choice for bike builders worldwide.

Specs

Driver Seating:
12.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
N/A

MSRP:
$355.00

Part Number:
LKB-860

SILHOUETTE DELUXE—TWO-UP

Overview

This seat is a step up from the original Silhouette. It is thicker, offers more lower lumbar support and is wider.

Passenger seating area is 7.5″ wide.

 Specs

Driver Seating:
12.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
7.5″ Wide

MSRP:
$412.00

Part Number:
LKB-048

SORRENTO

Overview

The Sorrento is a fusion of Silhouette style and Maverick comfort.

The entire seat has been shaved down for a flowing profile.

Perfectly formed, 13″ wide rider area and 10.5″ of passenger comfort.

Specs

Driver Seating:
13″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
10.5″ Wide

MSRP:
$533.00

Part Number:
LKB-900

VILLAIN

Overview

Once again we have taken seat designing to another level with the introduction of the head turning VILLAIN for your bike.

Bob Jr. designed this truly unique seat that will completely change the look of your bike.

Our VILLAIN is like nothing you’ve seen before.

If you demand the finest quality and unique styling you need look no further.

The Villain is great seat to add the Faux embossed leather to; we can also do something as simple as replace the black thread with a different color of thread to add a subtle accent.

Specs

Driver Seating:
11.5″ Wide
Passenger Seating:
6″ Wide

MSRP:
$508.00

Part Number:

“Grab his feet;” said Larry the same time he lifted the little, once large, man’s shoulders off the couch, “he’s turned to stone yet lighter than he looks…maybe a type of pumice?”

Grabbing his feet I couldn’t help remembering him as a very large seven foot shape changing lawman. Larry had already opened the back door and was leading the way towards the alley in back of the law office.

“He’d understand,” said Larry at the same time we pitched the body up and into a dumpster where it immediately crumbled into dust when it hit the bottom. “We’ll need all the time available to find out all we can about the new owners. I know it’s not very dignified being buried, amend that to being dumped, in a dumpster but we’ve no other choice.”

Middleton was awakening; people were beginning to appear along the streets. Larry and I had just climbed back aboard our bikes and were in the process of riding away when we were greeted with a “…Good Morning…” from a man directly across the street. He’d suddenly appeared in front of a nearby shop. He waved, we waved but didn’t stop. Unless he changed directions and walked over to the law office and discovered the broken window in the office door we’d probably not be tied to its break-in.

 
Soon we were surrounded by more people; where they came from was a mystery. The areas on either side the town of Middleton a.k.a. Oakley was devoid of settlement. Most likely Middleton’s people began to appear soon after Middleton appeared; like when the people of the legendary Scottish town of Brigadoon began to appear soon after Brigadoon appeared.

For the better part of the day we rode around town. Shops that were closed when we first glanced at them would be open and filled with people upon second glance. The few people we’d questions either didn’t know who the leaders of the town were or were too afraid to tell. By late afternoon I began to believe the townspeople really didn’t know.

“They’re like movie extras. Their role is to awaken, rather appear, interact, not really knowing why…then sleep, rather disappear, then reawaken. It’s a cycle…a revolving door.”

“Then we need to go to a place where the directors might go. We need to go to a place where folks congregate,” said Larry at the same time we parked in front of a small, and from the looks of it, popular diner.

Small towns and villages are introverted by nature. Coal mining states have many towns built by the mining companies; just as California, Oregon and Washington have many towns built by the timber companies. These towns, especially their favorite restaurants, are normally weary of strangers, especially if they’re wearing Elvis fan club badges.

“First cup’s on the house;” said the familiar looking waitress that seated us at the end of the counter and poured us both a full cup of coffee, “oh, and you gotta phone call…take it in the kitchen.”

Larry turned to me, “Our waitress minus the red hair and heavy make-up looks a lot like Kate and she’s motioning for us to follow her into the kitchen.”

“You gonna take this call or not?”

Without looking like we were in too much of a hurry we followed her into the kitchen. She led us to an isolated table in the back.

“Scrambled or scrambled…all I know is scrambled,” laughed Hilts as he sat down at the table. “My mother always said breakfast was the most important meal of the day.”

“You had a mother and isn’t it too late for breakfast?”

Hilts ignored my question by pointing his fork at three plates of scrambled eggs in front of three extra chairs.

“Sit,” said Kate as she took off the red wig and sat in the chair to the right of Hilts.

The four of us devoured our meals as if they were (hopefully they wouldn’t be) our last. Surprisingly to the rest of the diner’s staff we might as well have been invisible. They flowed around our table as if they couldn’t see us. Hilts and Kate made no effort to communicate with them.

“Hilts, if you get tired,” said Larry at the same time he pushed his empty plate away, “of trouble-shooting Borderlands you’ll have a career as a cook.”

“Change of plans,” said Hilts, “We realized after you left that your assignment was too dangerous. We rode to this diner knowing you’d eventually stop here to eat.

“I don’t know how much longer I can make them ignore us,” continued Hilts nodding his head at the diner’s staff. “I created this town years ago and I still have some control over it but the control’s weak and growing weaker. It’s just a matter of time before they begin to take notice and start asking questions. Speaking of questions did you find out anything about the new owners?”

“We found out they’re sadistic,” I answered.

Larry interrupted, “The question’s academic. They’re returning to the saloon at sundown; we’ll be waiting for them.”

It was Kate’s turn to ask a question, “Why sadistic?”

Larry then told what had happened…from finding the dying shape changer on the couch; to the shape changer’s warning the new owners knew we’d all passed through town and how the new owners had cut his umbilical cord as punishment. When Larry repeated we were returning to the old saloon to avenge the shape changer’s death Hilts didn’t object.

“This is the part,” said Hilts, “where I’m supposed to say revenge is not a good reason to confront an enemy.”

“Are you saying,” said Larry, his face saying he was going to avenge the shape changer’s death anyway, “we shouldn’t?”

“On the contrary,” continued Hilts, “I’ll even help you. But revenge is served best when served cold.”

Kate was confused, “Cold?”

“Revenge,” said Hilts, “served with a hot temper leads to mistakes. Tempers give off steam; steam clouds your vision. Revenge served cold and with measured force and purpose is better. We need to control the confrontation. We need to return to the saloon before they arrive and prepare. Hopefully reason will prevail but if it doesn’t then we need a Plan B.”

“Plan B,” asked Kate, “what’s a Plan B?”

“Plan ‘B’ is we better ‘B’ ready to kick some butt.”

Hilts continued, “Leave the Raider; Kate and I have some things to do here that’ll hopefully calm down the new owners before they get to the saloon.”

“How do you plan,” I had to ask, “to calm them down?”

“If I’m right,” answered Hilts, “they’ll take the shortest route back to the saloon which means they’ll have to go by the fountain. Kate and I will booby-trap the fountain to spray some of her special coffee over them. The road by the fountain is narrow forcing people to walk through the mist. We’ll mix the coffee with the mist. The townspeople are innocents and won’t be affected. The new owners however are malevolent, evil; they’ll react to the coffee in the fountain’s mist. With any luck it’ll mellow them out enough so I can convince them it’s in their best interest to leave town. If they choose to fight it’ll hopefully have weakened them.

“We’ll meet you at the saloon as soon as we’re done booby-trapping the fountain. Oh, I almost forgot; to help you find the shortest route back to the saloon or out of town I conjured some special sunglasses. They’re on the front of your bikes and will act as an autopilot. They’ll give a gentle push or pull to the right or left when you must turn…don’t fight them.”

 
Hilts must’ve still had some of his old ‘mojo’ because the four of us were able to leave the diner unnoticed. Once we were outside he and I exchanged bikes. I was back with the Suzuki M109, now equipped with an autopilot a.k.a. a pair of directional finding sunglasses and Hilts now had my Yamaha Raider. The Raider’s back seat would be much more comfortable for Kate than riding on the bare fender of the M109. Hilts had also given Larry a pair of directional finding sunglasses. They were similarly attached to his Vegas 8-Ball. In the back of my mind was the faint growing fainter hope of still persuading the new owners to vacate Middleton. Unfortunately my instincts were telling me anyone willing to sadistically kill the shape changer was beyond reason.

“You two need to leave now,” said Hilts the same time he and Kate got on the Raider. “If you can, stop, ask questions. You may get lucky and learn something valuable. Anything we can learn about these new owners may give us an edge. We’ll ride to the fountain and set up Kate’s coffee to spray them when they pass by. Once we’ve set the trap we’ll meet up with you at the old saloon.”

“If my calculations are correct,” Kate added, “we should meet you just before sundown, just before the town of Middleton changes back into the old town of Oakley.”

“Don’t be late.” Larry shouted as we rode away. “I’ve a feeling we’ll need to be together when we confront the new owners…and where’s Ma n’ Pa when you need them?”

When Larry and I passed over the narrow bridge the fountain’s spray predictably bathed us with a light mist. Once across the bridge the direction to take on upcoming crossroads was, as Hilts had said, decided by the push or pull of our handlebars. Whatever magic Hilts had infused into the autopilot sunglasses attached to the front of our bikes was in control and working to guide us back by the best route. Turns initiated with a push/pull of the bars were completed by us.

“Once the bike starts its turn,” said Larry over the sound of our engines, “it allows us to complete it.”

Allowing the push and pull of the handlebars was something that took getting used to. It reminded me of how much faith the captain of an ocean going vessel must have in the harbor pilot to give over control of his ship.

We stopped once on our way back to the old saloon to ask questions of a small group of townspeople. The townspeople were polite and wanted to answer our questions but couldn’t. It was here a harmless looking potbelly man dressed as a soldier standing outside the group became hostile. It was our first encounter with any type of hostility in Middleton.

“You’ve asked enough questions;” shouted the potbelly soldier, “it’s time for you two to get on your motorcycles and leave. Best be outta town by sundown.”

“He’s not worth it;” said Larry as he stopped me from walking over to the man, “and besides we don’t have the time…it’s less than an hour until sundown.”

“Be outta town by sundown”…has been said so often in movies it’s become a cliché. Except in this movie it was the implied ultimatum for ‘Not’ leaving town we wanted to happen. Our plan to avenge the shape changer’s death counted on the new owners coming to deliver that ultimatum.

Arriving back at the law offices, soon to be an old saloon, minutes before sundown found the street covered in long shadows and the surrounding shops closed and locked. Middleton’s residents were gone.

“Back the bikes in and point them towards the road leading out of town,” said Larry as he stopped then parked across the street. “The sun’s already setting.”

As soon as the sun dropped below the horizon the law office building began to shimmer like a mirage then flickered back into being the old saloon. At same time the temperature dropped ten degrees and the streetlights became the dim gaslights of the late 1800s. Middleton was now Oakley.

 
“What do you say we wait until Hilts and Kate get here then get a closer … Hey, are you crazy?”

Larry had already drawn his Glock 10mm and was walking across the street. When he got to the other side he stepped up to the saloon window and looked inside.

“You’ve got to see this,” yelled Larry at the same time he motioned for me to join him.

I was still thinking we should’ve waited for Hilts and Kate before doing anything when I joined Larry.

“What am I looking for…I can’t see…?”

“Look above the bar,” replied Larry, “near the ceiling. You wouldn’t have believed me so I had to get you over here to see for yourself.”

I remember as a kid watching the different floats at Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Filled with helium they’d range in size from large to really large. They were most often in the shape of a storybook or cartoon character. What hovered above the saloon’s bar was a float in the shape of a huge shark…except it wasn’t a float…it moved…it swam to the window we were standing behind and stopped.

“Maybe,” I said backing into the street and drawing out my 44 Magnum and knowing even as I said it that it did see us, “he didn’t see us?”

“Hard to tell,” said Larry grabbing my arm and motioning for me to follow him. “If he follows us into the warehouse opposite the saloon we’ll know for sure.”

We just finished breaking through the street level door leading into the warehouse when the shark broke through the front window of the saloon.

“It’s following us…so much for the question about it being able to see.”

“It must be filled with helium or hydrogen,” said Larry as we both took cover behind a stack of wooden crates. “Because its fins are a bit larger than normal it’s able to swim through the air using the same motions as it would if it were swimming through water.”

Looking at the width of the warehouse door we’d just broken through, I said, “The good news is, it’s too big to get through the door.”

“The bad news is,” said Larry after we heard the crash of glass upstairs, it’s broken through the window above us.”

The shark smelled us…sensed us…whatever…there was no hiding from it…and it took its time swimming down to where we stood behind the crates. If it spoke to us I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean, I’d already had a conversation with a giant spider and a velociraptor. Both had turned out to be friendly. Maybe the shark would be friendly?

“I told you two,” said the shark in a not very friendly voice that sounded a lot like the voice of the potbellied soldier, “to leave town before sundown but you chose to stay.”

This was the first time I could see the shark close-up. Easily eighteen to twenty feet in length it swam back and forth in front of us. What made it different from any shark I’d ever seen was its color. It was colored, rather decorated or customized, with red and orange flames from its head to its midsection. I’d seem similar flames painted on the gas tanks of choppers.

“So are you,” I had to be the straight man and say it, “the meet and greet committee for the new owners?”

“If it was up to me,” laughed the shark painted with orange and red flames, “it would’ve been called the meet and eat committee. But I’ve been told first to hold you two until the new owners arrive.”

“First,” Larry said as he stood up and leveled his 10mm at the shark, “as in before they eat us?”

“You guessed it,” laughed the shark, “they get first bites.”

Larry fired two 10mm rounds into the shark. I fired one from my 44 magnum…we could’ve been firing blanks. The shark continued to swim from side to side in front of us.

“We’ve got to assume the shark’s filled with helium and has some type of sealant coating the inside its skin.”

“Sealant?”

“WWII aircraft,” answered Larry, “often had a coating of sealant inside their gas tanks to keep the fuel from leaking out from bullet punctures. This shark must have something comparable coating its insides.”

“And why do you think it’s filled with helium?”
“If it had been filled with hydrogen it would’ve likely exploded like the Hindenburg when we shot it.”

“So what if,” I said pointing to some oxygen and acetylene tanks stacked about thirty feet from where we were, “we wait for it to swim over something we can make explode? If we crawl under these crates we should be safe.”
I wasn’t surprised to find tanks of oxygen and acetylene stored in this warehouse; both had been used for welding as early as the 1870s. The bigger question was would we survive the explosion?

“His next swim around,” said Larry, “should have him passing directly over the tanks. Aim for the weakest points on the tanks, the valves on top. Our bullets bouncing off hopefully will cause a spark…get ready here he comes…FIRE!”

I remember as a kid being invited to a neighbor’s birthday party. They’d hired a clown that made balloon animals. Before he left he blew up a particularly large balloon then let it loose to chase us around the yard. I can still hear its flagellant sound as it whizzed by me.

Speaking of which, the tanks we’d wanted to explode became instead, with their valves shot off, missiles whizzing around the warehouse smashing everything in their path.

“One of the oxygen tanks,” yelled Larry, “just rammed a hole through the wall behind us big enough to slip through…GO…I’ll follow…”

Larry and I were through the wall in seconds and into an alley that led to the street where our bikes were parked. Riding away my only thoughts were could the shark get through the hole in the wall and if so how fast could the shark swim…and where were Hilrs and Kate, and Ma n’ Pa we need you?

CHAPTER 25 COMING SOON

 

My wife and I were recently exploring options to add toour new 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra (FLTRU) and we were reallyimpressed and curious with the quality of Windvest Motorcycle Products out ofMorgan Hill, Ca. We observed thousands of bikes at the recent Lone Star Rallyand the number of options for what shield to use is almost limitless. With theresurgence of the Road Glide, it appears every custom builder in the world isbuilding one. What we were looking for was less of a showpiece and more of ashield that looked great while performing better than stock. We had seen a fewbikes utilizing the Windvest over the past few years and have noticed thepopularity of the California windshield makers’ product and quality. Like mostconsumers today, we turned to the web for some information on the shield aswell as options. We liked their website as it contained information about theorigin, quality, and design of the shields as well as a FAQ’s section thatanswers a few of the little nuances necessary when choosing a screen or shield.Here’s a section that was on their website about the company itself:

 

 

 

In 1989, after a windblown, bug-ridden ride to Sturgis,the founder of WindVest, Norm Dober, had a dilemma. He wasn’t happy with theway windshields looked and performed. So he decided to build his own. Fashioned from a windshield rescued from a friend’s garage, he began to”tweak”.                                         

After years of fine-tuning the windshield in his garage,the first WindVest was created, and the legend began.

Parts were built by a local machinist and then polished ina spare bedroom. The fledgling company was the talk of the neighborhood ascustomers began rolling in and the UPS truck appeared on an almost daily basis.As with so many small beginnings WindVest moved out of the garage and has neverlooked back.

Over the years, that one WindVest, grew into many, andWindVest Motorcycle Products now sells its sport windshields throughout theworld. Although WindVest is the leader in performance windscreens, the spiritborn from Norm’s garage lives on there today.

Today,WindVest is making inroads in other areas of motorcycle windshields with itsline of WideBody performance windscreens for Harley-Davidson and metriccruisers. More than a decade after the original WindVest made it’s debut, thecompany’s goal remains the same – to continue offering the best highperformance motorcycle windscreens with unparalleled customer service, yearafter year.

 

Moreinformation can be found about the company and available products by followingthe attached link or click on their logo on the homepage. http://windvest.com

 

Becausewe are senior board members of the Bikernet Interplanetary Coalition, I wasable to reach out to Bandit for a trial and review of one of the WindvestShields. Of course, he didn’t disappoint and we placed an order immediately forthe 12” Gun Smoke version. Our bike came stock with a 15” clear shield andwhile the performance was great for both of us, I wanted a change. Partlybecause of looks, but partly because of function. I had recently rolled mystock handlebars forward and the new location caused my bars to hit thewindshield at full turn. I really loved the feel of the new bar position butwasn’t crazy about possibly damaging my stock windscreen or creating an issueduring sharp turn or u-turn situations.

 

Withina week of my order, we received the box at our front door with enough peanutshells inside I was afraid they forgot my shield. Thankfully, it was nestedneatly inside with a small catalog, instructions for installation and care, anda handful of stickers to hand out to friends.

 

Iliterally spent 5 minutes removing the stock shield and replacing it with theWindvest 12” Smoke. The entire operation requires loosening the 4 stock scewsand sliding the old shield off before slipping the new shield on. The cuts inthe Windvest natched perfectly and it slipped right into place on the RGfairing. Initial thoughts were the shield was just as wide as stock, butdefinitely more stylish. I also liked the dark tint and couldn’t wait to ridethe next day to work testing out the shield. I was concerned with the height,as I didn’t want the wind to flip off the top of the shield right into my helmetedhead or my wife’s face when she’s in the back.

 

Iride using a combination of helmets depending upon my conditions and sometimesrun with a full face, sometimes with a beanie, and sometimes without one atall. I have since ridden win all 3 situations multiple times since putting onthe Windvest, and can pleasantly report the results are great. This team didtheir R&D before sending this shield into the market.

 

Notonce did I have an issue with wind buffeting using this screen for eithermyself or my passenger no matter which helmets we wore. My wife did notice alarger amount of wind with the Windvest, but nothing disturbing as the air wasvery “clean” and there was almost zero turbulence.

 

 

 

Thesounds of the radio could still be heard at highway speeds very easily, whichwas differential to when I used Harley’s Windsplitter 15” screen. While thatscreen looks good on the Road Glide, it’s performance was not as great as Iwould’ve hoped for. The turbulence was greater on the sides of my head whenwearing a fullface helmet and the music was very distorted because of it duringmy lidless rides. Overall the Windvest blew both of these negatives off theroad!

 

 

Theprofile of the bike now has a different tone and almost gives the bike anaggressive look. I like the fit and finish of the Windvest even after anevening bug0storm that put the shield to the test. I am happy to report my wifeand I weren’t effected by the bugs at all and can honestly say although theshield is shorter, it’s design worked at least as great as the stock largershield.

 

 

 

Since we put the shieldon, many in our riding group and friends have commented about the look andasked for information on the shield as there are so many options out there. Ifyou are considering a new windscreen for your Road Glide, shoot over and checkout their website to look at the different designs and sizes. They make optionsfor many of Harley’s models as well as some of the other motorcycle makescurrently being built. Give ‘em a shout and tell them Johnny from Bikernet sentyou their way. Thanks and continue to watch for different reviews from Johnny Humbleand Bikernet.com. This is one I definitely give a positive thumbs up!