Hey,
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY UNCOVERS GREAT TRUTHS, AGAIN– I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
— Will Rogers
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free!
— P.J. O’Rourke
In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
— Voltaire (1764)
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!
— Pericles (430 B.C.)
–Bob Clark
Better get involved. Join the MRF–Wilburn Roach
VICTORY MOTORCYCLE YOUTUBE CHANNEL– Almost forgot – we do have a YouTube Channel – Robert Pandya
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheVictoryMotorcycle
WHAT IS THE REAL PUBLIC BURDEN?–BOLT of California is excited to publicize and support the recently filed Class Action law suit in Clark County Nevada. The “Class M Class Action” was filed September 27, 2011 in federal court in Las Vegas by Attorney Travis Barrick.
The suit is the logical next step for motorcyclists to stop illegal enforcement tactics. When examined by the eye of the law, most helmet tickets are Rights violations. A ticket for an “unapproved helmet” is nothing more than an arbitrary tax on riders who pay the ticket simply because they don’t know they shouldn’t pay. There is a pattern and practice of keeping riders with tickets out of court; cashing a rider’s check in a guilty plea or dismissing the ticket when it is challenged in court.
There are no “DOT Approved” helmets, according to the Department of Transportation.
Repeal It Or Feel It was formed when the legislature of Nevada was offered a chance to change the law allowing adults the choice of wearing a helmet when riding.
If the law had been repealed, adults would not be subject to enforcement of the helmet law. Government decided to keep the bad law intact. They didn’t repeal it, so now they will feel it. Government paying The People back will really hurt them, but 4th Amendment violations will stop.
Many in favor of a helmet law claim there is a Public Burden when motorcyclists are injured, assuming their insurance won’t cover the cost. The most well-known of these studies was a bogus study citing figures pulled “out of thin air” by a California legislator. Side-by-side comparisons of helmet law states and Free states show no appreciable difference in injuries or deaths per accident. If mandating helmet use saved lives it would be obvious in a comparison eliminating all variables except the injury results per 1000 crashes. Statistics show the Public Burden theory is as phony as the imaginary study from California.
The real Public Burden is the Constitutional violations committed by officers writing unapproved helmet tickets – helmet tickets with no probable cause. The 4th Amendment was intended to relieve the citizens of that burden of government without limits. Removing dollars from the vital economy under false pretenses is the burden that results from officers writing those illegitimate tickets.
David Stilwell, one of the named Plaintiff’s in the Class M case, recently was awarded his legal costs of challenging two helmet tickets. They were dismissed by prosecutors after guilty verdicts in lower court. The Judge forced the DAs of the jurisdictions to reimburse Stilwell the costs he incurred in fighting tickets that he appealed. The cops and prosecutors caused that public burden.
Legislators and Law Enforcers want to talk Public Burden? The Class Action suit asks to compensate Clark County riders for abuses already committed by Cities, Police, and District Attorneys, and the constant threat of abuse whenever anyone rides a motorcycle there. No one is contending the NV law is unconstitutional. But the Constitution prohibits Police and
Prosecutors from shredding a citizen’s Rights, whether pedestrian, driver or rider.
www.RepealItOrFeelIt.com has more information and a way to contribute to the effort.The complaint filed in federal court can be read at www.boltofca.com When the Class M Class Action suit is successful, officers will be forced to stop violating the law to enforce a law on riders.
–Mark Temple
B.O.L.T. of California
Contact – webmaster@boltofca.com
BORN TO RIDE STAR GOES TO CHURCH–Last night I reached out to Branscombe Richmond, one of the stars of Born to Ride a recently released biker movie by Mike Jones.
R U UP ?? SIR MASTER OF BORN TO RIDE ———- AND KEEPER OF MIKE JONES AND THE MEDICINE BALL CARAVAN OF EGO TRIPPIN’ MOVIE CONCERT DOME.–Branscomb
Yep,
I have to stay up all the time, ‘cause I was born to ride.–Bandit
Ouch, 7.30AM here (Hawaii) going to church. ok BORN TO RIDE .–Branscomb
Pray for me. I don’t have time. Remember, I was Born to Ride. I can’t stop.–Bandit
CONFEDERATE MOTORCYCLE FOR SALE–Confederate motor cycle from Alabama. S&S special construction for sale $70,000.
–Frank Ball
NY SENATORS ARGUE THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS A PRIVILEGE NOT A RIGHT– Four New York State Senators, who recently released a report on cyberbullying, argued that free speech – in all its protected glory – should be viewed as a state granted privilege. They want to put further restrictions on the First Amendment, in order to protect the children.
The report, “Cyberbullying: A Report on Bullying in a Digital Age” was published in September by the Independent Democratic Conference. This group includes Democratic NY State Senators David Valesky, David Carlucci, Diane Savino, and Jeff Klein.
They propose several changes to the law, with a focus on cyberbullying, and leverage existing legal rulings, which already restrict free speech in the cases of harm, to explain why they should be accepted with little debate.
“Some pessimists have made the case that cyberbullying laws such as this one are a waste of time and money because they are reactionary rather than preventative. They may give officials the ability to charge bullies under a specific law, they say, but at that point the damage has already been done. These people have also argued that education is the most effective means for creating change…But all the Driver’s ED classes in the world have not stopped reckless driving, and awareness training alone won’t put an end to cyberbullying either,” the report explains.
The paper admits that several school districts in New York are already using awareness campaigns, what the Senators want are harsher punishments and clear definitions.
“Specifically, the bill would do two things: (1) Expand the crime of stalking in the third degree to include cyberbullying; and (2) expand the crime of manslaughter in the second degree to include the emerging problem of bullycide…”
“…the bill does not require that the offender initiate the communication. Further, it clarifies that a single electronic communication can be considered a “course of action” if it is directed at a child under the age of twenty-one years and transmitted to multiple recipients – even if the child is not one of them…”
Bullycide is when a victim of cyberbullying commits suicide. Should someone be charged under the proposed amendments to stalking in the third degree, and the child kills themselves, then the amendments to manslaughter in the second degree will apply in that case.
The following is taken from the report, but written to remove the constant use of capital letters. Emphasis added by The Tech Herald.
Proponents of free speech have long argued that a society that puts people on trial for things they have written or said is no longer a truly democratic society. The power of the word has been undisputable; it has been essential to preserving democracy and, in fact, its founding premise was to preserve the exchange of ideas.
–by Steve Ragan
–the techherald.com
This is heavy stuff. The media will fight it tooth and nail, but I wish they would also fight for freedom in general.–Bandit
CHECK OUT THE BIKERNET CLASSIFIEDS WHERE THE ADVENTURE IS JUST WAITING TO BEGIN!
–MIKE the STEALTH
NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT– Congress Could Consider National Carry Bill Soon! As we have been reporting, H.R. 822, the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011”, is on the move in the U.S. House of Representatives. On September 13, House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security held a hearing on H.R. 822. The House could consider H.R. 822 in the next few weeks, so it is critically important that you contact your U.S. Representative immediately about this vital legislation.
Unfortunately, not only do we have to continuously battle the ignorance and misrepresentation by our anti-gun opponents, but also by some so-called “pro-gun” organizations.
This bill is GOOD for gun owners.
This bill ENHANCES Americans’ right to self-defense by enabling millions of permit holders to exercise their right to self-defense while traveling outside their home states.
There is currently only one remaining state (Illinois) that has no clear legal way for individuals to carry concealed firearms for self-defense. H.R. 822 would require states to recognize each others’ lawfully issued carry permits, just as they recognize driver’s licenses and carry permits held by armored car guards.
D.C. Court Upholds Controversial Gun Restrictions: This week, a divided federal appeals court upheld the District of Columbia’s controversial ban on semi-automatic rifles and so-called “large capacity” magazines, but asked a lower court to reconsider certain aspects of its gun registration system.
Last Chance to Register and Attend the 2011 Firearms Law & the Second Amendment Symposium: The 2011 “Firearms Law & the Second Amendment Symposium,” sponsored by The NRA Foundation, will be held next Saturday, October 15, 2011, at the University of San Diego Law School.
This year’s Symposium will feature some of the most noted Second Amendment attorneys and scholars in the country including Stephen P. Halbrook, Ph.D.; David Kopel, Research Director, Independence Institute; Chuck Michel, Senior Counsel, Michel & Associates; and many others. Focusing on recent developments in our nation’s courts regarding the Second Amendment, speakers will discuss and debate current Second Amendment scholarship and related issues. Topics discussed will range from the history of the Second Amendment to current Second Amendment litigation in California and across the nation, to the nuts and bolts of legal practice in defending gun owners’ civil rights.
Thinking back, I really should have run – but you don’t get offers like that every day.
I saw a fortune teller the other day. She told me I would come into some money. Last night I fucked a girl called Penny – is that spooky or what?
–Rik Savenko
SCOTT JACOBS STURGIS 2011: A PERFECT STORM– As the Scott Jacobs Studio gang descended on the Sturgis Rally for our annual pilgrimage anticipation was at an all time high.
OFFICIAL STURGIS PAINTING FOR 2011
Scott Jacobs does a special work of art each year specifically for the Sturgis Rally.
These artworks, over time, have become THE most sought after and collectable works from his portfolio. The version for this year: SOME RIDE, SUNSET, was probably the most talked about piece at the show due to the unique nature of the work by Jacobs’ standards and the feeling people got from viewing it. Scott’s intention was to do a “spirit of the road” painting this year and it just so happened that his daughter Alexa had a Kodak moment while following a couple riding from Sturgis to Spearfish. In 2010, as she was approaching the Whitewood Bridge heading to Spearfish and coming over a hill, suddenly the skies opened up with a magnificent, intense sunset as the couple passed under the bridge. She grabbed her camera and in a moment’s notice snapped what would end up being the research photo Scott used for the 2011 Official Sturgis Rally painting.
If you happen to own a previous official Sturgis piece and are interested in Some Ride, Sunset, we may be holding your matching number so please contact us ASAP.
SCOTT JACOBS’ PAINTING “EFFIE” INSTALLED IN HARLEY-DAVIDSON MUSEUM ALONG WITH BIKE– The ultimate accomplishment for any fine artist is to hopefully some day have their work accepted into a major museum.
We thought you might enjoy seeing how it looks… enjoy!
–Scott Jacobs
BIKERNET DISCOVERS BELLY DANCING FOR FITNESS– If the treadmill has become tedious and the bike boring, why not liven up your fitness routine with belly dancing? This ancient art has evolved from traditional expressive movement to heart-pumping workouts offered in gyms across the country. Aside from working muscles that most people don’t exercise in regular workouts, belly dancing is a great opportunity to learn about the music and traditions of unfamiliar countries and cultures.
In general, dancing of any kind is wonderful for your body. Aerobic exercise promotes general fitness, conditions your heart and respiratory system, stimulates immunity and increases stamina. It also tones your nervous system, reduces stress, helps with balance and coordination, increases oxygen flow throughout the body and gives you a sense of well-being and empowerment. Dancing is one of the best aerobic activities of all because it’s upbeat and enjoyable, and provides a thorough workout.
–Dr. Weil
www.Drweil.com
NEW 180-INCH MOTOR COMING WITH PEGASUS FUEL INJECTION–Bill Chambers is building a monster 180-inch engine. Hang on for more info. It can be delivered with fuel injection from Pegasus by Mil Blair and Stewart Prince.
http://www.billchambersracing.com/
pictured above: 150 cubic inch motor
–Mil Blair
Should have the bike up and running tomorrow afternoon, just need to add oil & fuel then fire it up.
How goes the FXRs, any forward motion on them? Can’t wait to see em
running down the road.
–Richard
Richard has been a long time friend and associate of Bikernet. Since he sold his motorcycle to support his wife’s medical bills, we loaned him the 1928 Shovel for testing and his riding sanity. He will be reporting in on a regular basis.–Bandit
BIKERNET UNIVERSITY WEEKEND VOCABULARY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT–milquetoast MILK-tohst, noun:
A very timid, unassertive, spineless person, especially one who is easily dominated or intimidated.
He played the quintessential meek, scrawny, milquetoast character.
— Iris Johansen, Fatal Tide
It was hard to believe that a milquetoast coward like myself could be involved in such a clandestine and dangerous operation.
— Walter Mosley, Fear of the Dark
Milquetoast is after Caspar Milquetoast, a character in The Timid Soul, a comic strip by H. T. Webster (1885-1952), American cartoonist.
MORE VEGAS PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE MAGNIFICENT QUICK THROTTLE AND BIKERNET CORRESPONDENT, ART HALL–This is the center of old Vegas.The downtown main street made into a pedestrians only plaza.
Lots of renovation to compete with all the new glitz on the strip.
–Art
SURVEY: 3Q U.S. Harley-Davidson retail sales up 3.5 percent–
Here is some good news for followers of Harley-Davidson: Retail sales in the third quarter were up 3.5 percent, compared to the 3Q last year when sales slumped 9.4 percent, according to a recently-completed survey of dealers by Wells Fargo Securities.
There’s more good news as well: Inventories remain at five year lows and all of the dealers described inventories as comfortable/light with a need to improve the mix such as adding more touring bikes. Inventory levels are at about 40-45 days, according to the survey.
However, dealers voiced concerns about the inventory mix and said there probably were lost sales due to lack of product availability on models such as the model year 2012 (MY12) touring, sportsters and softails. “We believe Harley underestimated U.S. summer demand, especially in touring (models),” says Tim Conder, Wells Fargo Securities senior analyst and author of the report. “It likely will be late fall before Harley has U.S. inventories normalized,” he added.
Here’s an interesting comment from Conder: “We continue to believe Harley is making specific efforts to limit some availability of Touring models, in part to encourage the dealer network to grow sales (i.e. Sportster, Dyna, Softtail) into targeted, less penetrated customer demographic segments (i.e., under 35, women, African-American, Hispanics). However, this effort may have been too aggressive when combined with York restructuring transitions.”
The survey included 40 dealers located in 24 states across the U.S., approximately, 6 percent of Harley’s U.S. dealers and was skewed toward larger dealers in major metropolitan areas. The survey included 10 dealers in the East, 10 in the South, 10 in the Midwest and 10 in the West.
The dealers surveyed were very aggressive in their marketing. In addition to selling new and used motorcycles, clothes, merchandise, parts, accessories and service, 98% of the participating dealers had Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapters, 55 percent offered rentals, 45 percent sponsored a Rider’s Edge training program and 33 percent had an on-line sales program.
The dealers also were very aggressive on their pricing. Seventy percent of the dealers sold at MSRP, 20 percent sold at MSRP with what Wells Fargo calls “minimal discounts,” and 10 percent sold at a premium to MSRP. Twenty percent of the dealers said they were selling at least some new models below MSRP, compared to 13 percent in the Q211 survey by Wells Fargo, and 18 percent in Q310.
Here are other findings from the survey:
* The ratio of used to new bikes has improved from 2:1 to 1.75:1
* The price gap between used bikes and new bikes has continued to narrow. Used bike prices were stable through the 3Q after rising for much of the last 24 months, according to Conder.
* Price discounting does not appear very likely in the near term, says Conder, “given clean dealer inventories, increased demand and management’s aggressively managing supply in line with demand.”
* Used Harley bike prices stabilized in Q209 and have increased since then to the point where new bike demand “is positively impacted,” notes Conder. Since Q209, he says, dealers reporting flat or increasing used bike prices jumped from 25 percent to 88 percent in Q311.”
* Prices of used Harley’s are likely to continue to increase, year over year, over the next year, Conder predicts.
* Credit standards of Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) have remained basically stable between the second and third quarters this year, according to the dealers.
Harley common stock has traded in a range of $28-$47 over the last 52 weeks. It closed at $34.33 on Friday, Sept. 30, 2011.
–Published courtesy of Dealernews
www.dealernews.com
BIKERNET PERFORMANCE EDITOR SPEED REPORT–Yet another action packed week on the road in the quest for speed.
Packed and peeled out of headquarters last Tuesday, destination Bonneville Salt Flats for the last race of the year that’s billed the World Finals.
RAINED OUT
Made it as far as Las Vegas and decided to check the weather and discovered a rain storm was hovering over the world’s fastest race track for adrenaline junkies. On Wednesday morning the track was layered with 1 foot of water.
WTF might as well hunker in and spend a day unwinding. I just survived Sin City, Las Vegas Bikefest, and the code of the west. The weather cleared over Wendover and racers faced perfect salt conditions for the remaining days of the week. Another race venue called to me.
MOJAVE MILE
Haul Ass!
Ride for your Life!
–Ray c wheeler
Performance Editor/
Cantina Backstage Security Commander
wheeler@bikernet.com
MASSACHUSETTS MOTORCYCLISTS RECEIVE 40 MILLION IN INSURANCE REFUNDS–
It’s true. Massachusetts Motorcycle owners are getting $40 million in insurance premiums refunded back to them. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office settled with fifteen insurers who allegedly overcharged on collision and comprehensive coverage of motorcycles. Coakley’s office claims insurers charged premiums based on inflated values of motorcycles — not taking into account depreciation.
Depreciation is considered the decline in value of an asset. So when you bought your $20,000 Harley-Davidson, your insurance premiums may not have been readjusted reflecting its new value every year as it gets older.
“We are pleased that our investigation, which began with a single consumer complaint, has resulted in the return of nearly $40 million to Massachusetts motorcycle owners,” Coakley said. “We are very concerned that the auto insurers in this state were able to overcharge so many Massachusetts consumers on such a large scale.”
Who says that one person can’t make a difference! All of the settlements stemmed from that one complaint to Coakley’s office about his 1999 Road King premiums. A big THANK YOU goes out to that guy for bringing this to the State’s attention.
Quick Throttle Magazine contacted the State of California Attorney General’s Office and interviewed them on this issue. They asked us for details and promised to look into it, and agreed to further calls and interviews. We will keep everyone posted on what this means for all of the Western and Central states that QT Magazines serve.
People who want to find out if they have a refund coming in Mass. can use their Attorney General’s Motorcycle Insurance Refund Lookup Webpage, www.motorcycle.ago.state.ma.us, or call the Attorney General’s Insurance & Financial Services Division, 1-888-830-6277.
–Quick Throttle Magazine
SUNDAY QUOTE AND TRIBUTE TO THE APPLEMAN– “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~Steve Jobs
–from CarlR
10 VAGOS MOTORCYCLE CLUB MEMBERS ARRESTED–
Authorities arrested 10 members suspected of drug-trafficking and a rash of violence — including the recent murder of a rival Hells Angel member in a Nevada casino — in a series of raids Thursday across Southern California.
The crackdown comes after an 18-month investigation led by the state Department of Justice into one of the most violent criminal motorcycle gangs in the nation, authorities said. Members of the gang, which started in the Inland Empire in the 1960s, stand accused of suspicion of murder, rape, weapons violations, money-laundering and drug violations.
“It’s a dangerous organization … that’s responsible for putting drugs into our communities and schools,” said Senior Special Agent David King, head of bureau of narcotics enforcement in Riverside. “These individuals are armed to protect their criminal enterprise, and they’ve shown how quickly they are willing to use their guns in public.’’
State agents joined with local law enforcement agencies early Thursday to execute 52 search warrants in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Imperial counties at 7 a.m. Arrest warrants also were issued for 12 high-ranking Vagos members, 10 of whom were in custody by late morning.
A team of officers from the San Bernardino Police Department and state Department of Justice took a battering ram to the door of the Vagos international president in Colton, busting into the house with weapons drawn.
The Vagos leader was gone, but officers handcuffed another man inside and escorted a woman and young child outside while they searched the house. The tiny stucco home, with its tot-sized basketball hoop in the driveway and towering palms outside, blended into others in the blue-collar neighborhood.
The only indication that a Vagos member lived inside was the black Harley-Davidson emblem decorating the home’s address number on the Orange Avenue curb.
The Vagos leader remains at large. Authorities asked that he not be identified until his arrest.
A few miles away, near the Cal State San Bernardino campus, another squad raided the house of Scott Rivera in the 1400 block of Sheridan Avenue, spending hours inside searching for weapons, drugs and evidence of his involvement with the Vagos.
Rivera, a bald, heavyset man with a Fu Manchu mustache, gave only a silent, icy stare as officers led him out of the house in handcuffs and loaded him into a squad car. Minutes later, a neighbor poked her head over the fence: “Did someone get killed?” she asked, and was quickly told no. Rivera was arrested on suspicion of stealing cars.
Authorities raided a Vagos clubhouse in the remote Riverside County town on Anza as well as one in North Hollywood, a storefront biker clothing story on Lankershim Boulevard. More than 200 weapons were seized, including 100 from a house in Alhambra and 50 in Diamond Bar.
“It’s going to be a tremendous blow, because we’re targeting their top leaders,” said Special Agent Andy Spillman of the Department of Justice, one of the lead investigators on the case.
Before Thursday’s raids, more than 25 Vagos members already had been taken into custody, and authorities had recovered 26 firearms, a rocket launcher and grenade launcher during the investigation. Earlier in the operation, investigators also had seized 20 kilos of cocaine during a raid in Los Angeles not far from Cal State L.A.
The state Department of Justice launched “Operation Simple Green” in 2010 to dismantle the Vagos’ extensive narcotics and money-laundering operations, which included the wholesale distribution of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.
The Mexican drug cartels are one of the many narcotics suppliers Vagos members are suspected of using, said San Bernardino Police Officer Erick Bennett.
Bennett said the sweeping investigation began with a simple narcotics case back in 2010 that eventually led to a vast drug enterprise run by Vagos members. During the investigation, authorities uncovered an unsuccessful murder-for-hire plot and two suspected rapes.
Among the Vagos members taken into custody were some suspected to be involved in a Sept. 23 shooting that killed Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, 51, the president of the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels during the annual Street Vibrations motorcycle festival in Sparks, Nev.
Pettigrew was inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget Casino Resort when he was shot four times in the back, authorities said. Two Vagos members also were shot in a brawl that followed. The violent melee forced the town’s mayor to declare a state of emergency and to cancel the event.
Last week, Vagos gang member Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, 53, of San Jose, was arrested in San Francisco on suspicion of murder; he is awaiting an extradition hearing. King said that Vagos members taken into custody on Thursday are suspected of being involved in the killing, and could face charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
“Our investigators are working hand-in-hand with the Sparks police department to assist in their investigation,” King said.
ART HALL COVERS THE VEGAS BIKEFEST WET T-SHIRT CONTEST–This is the annual Las Vegas H-D Dealers contribution to Bikefest.
Held at 6pm Friday – an hour later this year.
Finishes kinda in the dark a bit.
–Art
Bikernet International Editor
Magnificent contributor to Quick Throttle Magazine
WANDELL REPORT: Harley-Davidson needs to be more agile, seek new customers–Harley-Davidson is plotting a marketing course designed to walk a tightrope: attracting new customers without alienating die-hard fans, CEO Keith Wandell says.
“We can’t survive on our core customers alone,” Wandell told a symposium audience at the Center for Operational Excellence at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business Friday. “2008 changed the landscape of the economy in this country forever, and anybody who believes for one minute that it’s ever going to be the same as it was before 2008, it’s not going to happen.”
Bob Althoff, owner of Dealernews Top 100 dealer AD Farrow Co. – the oldest continually operating Harley-Davidson dealership in the U.S., echoed Wandell’s message, according to the Columbus Business Journal, noting the company needs to give riders more entry-level opportunities.
“We train (first-timers) how to ride, but most will buy their first motorcycle from our competitors – and that breaks our heart,” Althoff said.
Wandell hinted that the company will bring new products to market more quickly and try to be a more agile player to keep up with market trends.
“If we bring out products that make them say, ‘Wow,’ then they’ll know we’re still investing in them,” he said.
The Motor Co. got complacent during the boom years when customers were placed on waiting lists for new motorcycles, he said, and that alienated some potential customers.
“You told people to go away,” he said. “You said, ‘We don’t want you.’ ”
Wandell told the group that North America, home to half of Harley-Davidson’s more than 1,400 dealer locations, has been overdeveloped. Between 60 and 70 stores have closed in recent years, and another 30 are expected to be trimmed from the field soon.
Posted by Holly Wagner
Published courtesy of Dealernews: www.dealernews.com
BIKERNET INSURANCE WEEKEND MEMO: WINTER WONDERLAND FOR BIKERS – Time to winterize your machines folks.
Those of us that live in sunny California don’t worry much about winterizing our motorcycles. SoCal is a great place to ride motorcycles because of the many scenic roads and fantastic weather. Most of the state has riding weather that lasts all year long. Gotta love it.
Now, for those of you living in the “normal” parts of the country, you are starting to see the leaves turn color and feeling temperatures drop. As the winter season works its way into your psyche, it’s time to think about how to care for your bike during the long winter months. You should also give some thought to whether or not you should keep your motorcycle fully insured during your “non-riding” months. Let’s review some key steps.
Basic mechanical prep for winter storage
1. Wash your bike thoroughly and remove all road grit. Wax key areas and polish the chrome.
2. Change your oil and lubricate all key moving parts.
3. Change and top off all fluids including, brake, clutch and anti-freeze if liquid cooled.
4. Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank and fill up the tank completely.
5. If your bike has a carburetor, you’ll want to drain it to remove any deposits.
6. Remove the plugs and squirt some oil onto the cylinders. Turn over the cylinders to lubricate them.
7. Double-check the drive train and adjust it as necessary.
8. Double check tire pressures.
9. Keep critters out of your exhaust pipe by stuffing a rag in the opening.
10. Place the bike on a good bike stand to keep the weight off the tires.
Electrical
1. Remove and store the battery.
2. Clean the battery terminals and wires around the battery frame casing.
3.Connect the battery to a quality battery charger like those manufactured by CTEK. The CTEK battery chargers are by far the best in the world from all we’ve seen around here. Check them out at www.smarterchargers.com
What about my motorcycle insurance during the winter months?
The potential for physical damage to your bike, while less likely when stored properly, can still occur. Maintaining comprehensive coverage is also really important. Anything can happen to damage your bike and we’ve seen it all. For example, a contractor doing work in a client’s garage decided to sit on one of the custom bikes during his lunch break and caused the bike to topple over damaging the gas tank and paint on the frame. $1,500 damage. A hot water heater malfunctioned in the garage burning down the house, including the bike stored in the garage. Total loss $12,000. Vandals broke into a storage unit and damaged one customer’s bike. $6,000 in damages. It can happen folks. This is why we love insurance. So that you don’t have to.
The Crew at Bikernet Insurance
Toll Free: 888-467-8703 | Fax: 858-693-8703
Email for fastest response: service@bikernet-insurance.com
.
Agents serving 20 states. States added as required to serve customers.
Resident State: CA Agency 0G67810. Principal Agent 0D71028
All statements made in this email are subject to the provisions, exclusions, conditions and limitations of the applicable insurance policies. Insurance policy language always prevails.
HIT THE SHOP–I’m in the middle of wiring my Mudflap girl bike, and it takes concentration, planning and all the necessary components. We hit Radio Shack for terminal boards and connectors yesterday, and I’m going to make a recommendation to Wire Plus that could save builders a lot of time and anguish. Then we cut across a couple of lanes and ducked into California H-D. I spent a half hour working with Kip Woodring, a longtime employee at Custom Chrome, in the parts department.
He helped me fill some gaps with my son’s FXR mid controls, and the neutral indicator switch connectors. It took almost 45 minutes, and I ordered $30 worth of parts, all little five-buck pieces. But each one was critical. We are so fortunate to be living in Los Angeles. If we need anything, it’s gotta be here, somewhere. But I always feel like I’m burnin’ daylight, when I’m dodging traffic for a five buck part.
My major source for the Mudflap Girl bikes has been Biker’s Choice. I rely on their well-organized catalog and our dealer rep for info. More and more they are trying like hell to make all the necessary parts available quickly. But once in a blue moon I’m forced to scramble into a dealership for that rare, nowhere else part. I would hope that the factory would embrace the aftermarket. If we were all working together, it would benefit everyone, especially the customer.
Eric Bennett pointed out the obvious to me the other day, once more, about our industry. We are one of the few groups capable of modifying our vehicles. That’s true of custom motorcycle riders, and boat owners. It’s another opportunity for the government to take a close look at their policies and see if they can’t back off and make more industries more flexible and more available to customers. Just like H-D could be working with ATK for entry level motorcycles. It could be a helluva test and help out, especially the entry level customer.
This fuckin’ government needs to learn how to back-off, support business, and freedom. The economy would immediately respond, but what the fuck do I know. I was Born to Ride.
Ride Forever,
–Bandit
