This is going to be a light Sunday Post, as Bandit is in the mountains in Idylwild writing. He?ll be back in time for Thursday news and it will be a good one. Stay Tuned?
Layla
CHOPPER CHICKS RULE—
Shell Oil and the House of Harley Davidson sponsor the Chopper Chick Crew?s latest live build and RAACE to the finish line. The Chopper Chick Crew nailed it?again. The House of Harley-Davidson, Milwaukee?s premier dealership, and Shell Oil, manufacturers of V-Power gasoline (the gas recommended by Harley for their entire model line) sponsored the Chopper Chicks in yet another ?live build?. The bike project coincided with the House of Harley-Davidson?s Woman?s Day Event during the 105th Anniversary celebration. It gave bikers of both sexes a chance to see these talented women spin wrenches on a custom concept and make it materialize right in front of their eyes.
As with all of these build projects, the completed motorcycle was donated to a carefully chosen charity. The recipient of this bike was a unanimous favorite, the Race Against Abuse Of Children Everywhere Foundation(RAACE). RAACE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the epidemic of child sexual abuse by raising public awareness. Any charity organization would benefit monetarily from the sale of such a motorcycle but this bike would be able to work for the foundation long before there were any thoughts of a sale. Through their awareness campaign, they are taking this bike on tour with them to race tracks, motorcycle events and anywhere else that they can use it as a tool to talk with people and get their message out.
About five weeks before the live build, the Chopper Chicks started with a crated 2007 Custom Sportster delivered from the House of Harley-Davidson courtesy of Shell and chopped, cut, welded and ground their way to create a nasty street-to-track bike with lots of attitude. The choice of the race-ready style was a no-brainer for the crew (they were , after all, building it for the RAACE Foundation). On the morning of the event, they started with a bare frame, an assortment of parts, excited RAACE staffers, fistfuls of tenacity and one broken foot. (Athena had bust it in a late night fight with a trailer hitch during her nonstop roadtrip from Florida.)
Chopper Chick Crew members, Athena Ransom, Jayme Gray, Vivian ?Gypsy? Charros, and Kate O?Shea started pulling wrenches around 9AM while Chopper Chick JoAnn Bortles airbrushed license plates for the audience of bikers that had gathered to watch the women do what they wished they could. The fact that these women had worked together before was evident as each one slid easily from one assembly job to the next as their official ?Tool Boy?, Don Ransom (Athena?s husband) kept the tools flowing to waiting hands. Taking turns on the open mike, they chatted it up with the crowd and were able to give them the dope on the bike and the various customizations and fabrications.
As the time for firing up the sled got closer, the chatter stopped as their focus intensified and the wrenches started turning a little faster. Even the crowd stopped their questions and dropped their voices. It was really pretty cool?lots of anticipation. Bikers who had been watching their progress during the day, swarmed the area in front of the tent with one last question on their lips. Would it start? With a gallon of Shell V-Power gas dropped in her tank, they pushed the button. She fired right up and made believers out of all who witnessed the event. Chicks rule. At that moment, even the crustiest of bikers had to agree on that.
The live build took over eight hours from bare frame to running motorcycle. That?s a little longer than some of their previous live assemblies but the Chopper Chick Crew couldn?t have been happier with the outcome. This wasn?t a kit bike or just another tried and true chopper that has been done (overdone?) a thousand times. This was a smooth one-off custom that was cool as shit and it was quite a feat to get it together as fast as they did.
The transformation of the stock Sporty was more than the public had anticipated but just what the Chopper Chicks had expected. The lowered and lengthened scooter sported custom fabbed rear controls, a one-off tight little set of drag bars and a kick ass paint job in the purple and yellow colors of the RAACE Foundation. The oil tank fabbed out of Harley cylinders by Vagabond Chopper Company left the uninitiated wondering why the bike had extra jugs and RB Racing tossed a two-into-one exhaust system into the mix. The trick changes and tasty extras that the chicks brought to this project are too numerous to list here but the most obvious additions were perhaps the most unexpected. The inclusion of a dead-man switch and a set of 65 inch wheelie bars (donated by Pingle Enterprises, Inc.) really set this bike apart.
After the completion, Shell Oil representative Karyn Leonardi-Cattolica and the House of Harley-Davidson’s Brooke Pape handed the keys over to RAACE founder Kenneth Smith and Programs/Services Director Vickie Brookes. ?We?re so grateful. This is really something special. This motorcycle drastically increases our ability raise awareness. Everyone we speak with has the potential to save a child and change a life. This bike will open the door for us to communicate our message to so many more people,? Smith told the crowd while he clutched the keys. ?We can?t thank the everyone enough for this incredible gift.?
The Chopper Chick Crew wants to thank and acknowledge all those that all those that helped make this all happen: Shell Oil, the House of Harley-Davidson, Jeffery Phipps Custom Saddles, RB Racing, Pingle Enterprises, Inc., Barnett Performance Products, Gardner-Wescott, Biker?s Choice, Mitchell Motorcycle Transport, Park One Welding, Precision Wire Inc., Sun Metals, California Harley-Davidson, Manatee River Harley-Davidson, Crazy Horse Painting, Gypsy Highway Custom, Vagabond Chopper Company and all of their families and sweethearts.
Autumn holidays mean test driving fun for all ages INTERMOT Cologne:– An event for the whole family Free entrance for children; teenagers only pay ?2.50
A unique family event will be taking place from 8th to 12th October 2008 in Cologne: INTERMOT COLOGNE ? International Motorcycle and Scooter Fair. Whether it’s naked bikes, sports bikes, cruisers, fighter bikes, customized bikes, scooters, quads or ATVs ? chrome and paint rule in the Cologne exhibition halls. In addition to enjoying the presentations of around 1,100 exhibitors, with many new products making their debut on the world market, visitors can join in the activities in the outside area or watch breathtaking shows. This will be a festival for motorbike fans and the whole family.
Visitors will experience the fascination and special atmosphere of the whole world of motorbikes at first hand. In seven exhibition halls covering over 120,000 m?, manufacturers will present everything that a motorbike fanatic could need. The outside area, which covers 75,000 m?, offers many other exciting activities. Here visitors can try out the new models on the various test tracks and experience action-packed motorcycle racing and the breathtaking stunt shows of the professionals at the Freestyle MX and live dragster demos. Even visitors who have taken a break from motorbikes or don?t have a driver’s licence ? women, men and even children ? can get a taste of what riding a bike is like under the supervision of expert instructors. Test tracks for those new to biking, electric scooters and the Motorbike World for children promise to deliver fun for children and adults alike. Naturally there will also be a play area for the toddlers ? and even here the motorbike theme is prominent. And to ensure that the whole family can visit INTERMOT without breaking the bank, children up to 11 years of age get in free, and teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 only have to pay ?2.50. Students from the age of 18 can experience the fascinating world of scooters and motorbikes for only ?6. Adults who have a biker card (available from specialist retailers) only pay a ?9 admission fee, and a normal day ticket costs ?12. INTERMOT Cologne will take place from 8th to 12th October 2008. The trade fair will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Friday, 10th October it will even be open till 8 p.m.
Please note: Children and youths who are under 18 years of age and don?t have a driver’s license have to provide a Declaration of Exclusion of Liability signed by both parents if they would like to take part on the various test tracks. This information is now available to download on the INTERMOT
website at www.intermot-cologne.com.
INTERMOT Cologne 2008
8th to 12th October 2008
Best regards
Koelnmesse GmbH
Anja Scheidt
Press Assistant
Unternehmenskommunikation/PR
Koelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 1
50679 K?ln
Germany
Phone + 49 221 821 2366
Fax + 49 221 821 3285
a.scheidt@koelnmesse.de
www.koelnmesse.de
CRUISERCUSTOMIZING.COM IS EXPANDING– As of July 21st, CruiserCustomizing.com is expanding their online experience to allow their customers even more ability to share information and interact with other riders. The summertime launch of their new community site will be an open forum where riders of metric cruiser motorcycles can upload photos of their bikes, share riding stories and of course, customizing tips, tricks and recommendations. CruiserCustomizing.com?s community site is a moderated, family-oriented environment intended to bring metric cruiser riders closer together. As the cruiser marketplace continues to grow, riders can now depend on this new community to learn and share together under the slogan, ?Your bike, your world, shared passion.?
CruiserCustomizing.com began over 7 years ago as a website that provided information on the customization of metric cruisers in a time when the information was far less available than today. The site became an immediate success and quickly grew to an online retailer of parts and accessories to feed the hungry metric cruiser market. Customers can rate and review the products they buy in order to help other riders make the best choices before spending their money. The addition of the community site will further this experience for all metric cruiser riders, customizers and enthusiasts.
What sets CruiserCustomizing.com apart from the rest is their passion?not only for riding (company founder and CEO Uwe Druckenmueller owns seven motorcycles, and rides daily, choosing not to drive a car) but for delivering excellent customer service. With a 100% satisfaction guarantee, each customer can buy with confidence enjoying the ease of online shopping. Free shipping on all orders $199 and over in the continental U.S. is another attractive feature, and for orders under that minimum, there is a flat fee of $6.95, and most orders ship within 2 business days. No wonder that CruiserCustoizing.com ships over 100,000 orders per year to their thousands of happy, loyal customers worldwide.
So, if you?re a metric cruiser rider, or even if you?re just planning to buy your first bike, make CruiserCustomizing.com a regular hang out when you?re on the web. You?ll be among thousands of other riders sharing and enjoying all the experiences that the open road has to offer.
JIMS TOOL OF THE WEEK– Fuel pressure test gauge tool This gauge is a must have JIMS? new tool as 90% of all Big Twins motorcycles have Electronic Fuel Injection, (EFI). If you have a customer that is experiencing any of the following conditions:
? Hesitation under acceleration
? Loss of power
? Back firing through the intake
? Poor fuel economy
? Stalling out
? Engine turns over but will out start
?
Just to name a few symptoms that improper fuel system pressure may contribute to. This fuel pressure gauge is easily installed in line with the motorcycles fuel supply system. All fuel testing should be (if possible) performed with the engine running, with this tool. JIMS? supplies you with all the necessary hose connections and fittings to safely perform a fuel pressure test in about the same amount of time it takes to change a set of spark plugs. Full detailed instructions included, some assembly required.
No.955 – Use on all 2002 to present E.F.I. FL models. Use on all 2004 to present E.F.I. FXD models. Use on all 2001 to present E.F.I. FXST models
Suggested Retail Price: $443.95
TImken? Bearing or Race Installer Adapter Kit This tool will upgrade your earlier JIMS? No.97222-55 bearing installer tool to work on the latest fine spline Twin Cam? sprocket shafts. This tool is designed to install either H-D? No.9028 Timken? bearing or the roller bearing race from H-D? No.24004-03 bearing assembly onto the sprocket shaft as shown in the above photos.
No.973 – Use on all Big Twins 2006-present FXD’s or 2007-present FXST’s & FL’s. Also use on JIMS? 120″ or 131? motors.
Suggested Retail Price: $69.40
That?s It–
