THE HETIC BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS—for September 10th, 2026

Hey,

Life is nuts and then you die. We are working on a deal to bring Tattoo mag back. The FB page will be re-energized. A new website is being formed and all it entails.

We are working on updated ER subscription sales efforts for Xmas and 2027. I rode my VLXAFL to the last Hamster outing at the SOB in St. Onge. It was the first 40 or so mile ride in the break-in period. The bike ran like a top but I lost my phone along the route and some bastard ran over it.

In today’s world that’s so weird. We are stuck to our phones. I was parked in front of the Verizon store the next morning when they opened. I needed my laptop. It couldn’t find my phone. I had insurance, so a new phone was immediately sent from some far-away land. I walked out relieved, I wouldn’t receive a call or a text all day and now we’re into the next day…

Above is the cover for the next issue of Easyriders, for the holiday season. It’s a work in progress and it took a whole crew of folks to make it happen starting with beautiful Sabina the model, Felicia our photographer, our art director Kristen, Sabina’s special effects team, Danial James and a touch by my lovely self. It’s coming together. Hang on for the next party season issue.

Let’s hit the news.

The Bikernet Weekly News was created by our non-stop, never give up staff: The Redhead, Wayfarer, LA Laura, Viscous Vickie, Danial James, Freak Show Team, Sturgis Prospect Kendra, Paul Davis, Agent Zebra and Berry Wardlaw.

BIKERNET GUN NUT REPORT– DOJ Relaunches Federal Firearms Rights Restoration with New Final Rule

On August 20, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a final rule in the Federal Register that establishes application standards for those seeking relief from federal firearm disabilities under the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (GCA). The document, Application for Relief From Disabilities Imposed by Federal Laws With Respect to the Acquisition, Receipt, Transfer, Shipment, Transportation, or Possession of Firearms, is the final administrative action in a multi-step process that began in February 2025.

A timeline on the DOJ’s website shows the program will be rolled out in three waves. It launches on September 26, 2026, with an “invited” application pool. Then, a second wave of 5,000 applications drawn from the general public will be accepted beginning on November 4, 2026. A third wave of 500 applications will be open on January 4, 2027. This phase-in is apparently to help DOJ work out the kinks of the program, as the rule estimates some 330,000 applications are expected to be received each year.

Trump-appointed Pardon Attorney Ed Martin announced the new program in a video address. He stated:

To put [the] rule into effect, my team in the Pardon Office is hard at work to ensure that we can create and utilize an application process that balances public safety with the protection of your Second Amendment rights. Soon, we’ll launch an online portal to accept all incoming applications. For those of you who are seeking relief, I know you’re anxious to get started. And while you’re waiting, I’d ask you to visit our website and find out more about what you’ll need. That website is https://www.justice.gov/ffrr.

NRA-ILA has been reporting on each step of the program’s revival. Previously, restoration of rights under the GCA had been dormant for some 34 years because of congressional appropriation riders preventing the former administrator of the program, ATF, from spending funds to process applications.

But because the actual relief provision in 18 U.S.C. § 925(c) assigns responsibility for administering the program to the U.S. Attorney General, that official had the authority to revoke ATF’s responsibility for administering the program and assign it to a new DOJ component. In one of his first official acts in office, recently confirmed U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche presided over the rule’s publication and the program’s relaunch.

NRA-ILA had submitted extensive comments on DOJ’s proposed rule for application standards. We expressed concern that the proposal departed from the underlying statute, imposed a very bureaucratic and burdensome application process, and granted too much discretion to a potential anti-gun administration of the future, which could exploit the rules’ broad authorities to preferentially decide applications and even revoke previously granted relief.

Our comment pointed to parallels from the Biden-Harris administration, which passed an anti-gun regulation to ban private firearm sales that also used unauthorized presumptions (that rule has since been invalidated by multiple court decisions). Moreover, we explained how anti-gun states responded to pro-Second Amendment decisions by imposing extensive application requirements and extensive fees to effectively nullify the relief the courts granted. Thus, even if the Trump DOJ administered the process in good faith, there was no guarantee a future presidential administration hostile to the Second Amendment would follow suit.

Fortunately, DOJ took a number of our suggestions into consideration. It reduced the permanent presumptions of ineligibility that would have incorporated technical violations of the GCA to a period of 10 years after satisfaction of sentence. It allowed applicants who could not successfully gather all the rule’s extensive documentation to alternatively provide affidavits explaining the attempts they made and why they were unsuccessful. The final rule additionally limited the attorney general’s future revocation authority to situations where DOJ could demonstrate the application was fraudulently filed. A proposed requirement that the applicant notify the chief local law enforcement officer of the application’s filing, even if that official had nothing to do with the original basis of disqualification, was removed.

Unfortunately, other aspects of the final rule went in the other direction. A new requirement was added to provide information about arrests and prosecutions occurring overseas, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that overseas convictions cannot lead to disqualifications under the GCA. It’s easy to see why, with many other countries lacking the constitutional protections and relatively professional and transparent judicial process of the U.S. Nevertheless, DOJ insisted all such information should be provided to inform DOJ’s decision-making. And, underscoring NRA-ILA’s concerns about the potential for the unauthorized fee to keep increasing, DOJ itself raised it 50% in the final rule over what it originally proposed.

Having said all that, the revival of the GCA’s restoration of rights provisions is a historic development that will hopefully right many wrongs and lead deserving applicants to regain their Second Amendment rights.

NRA-ILA encourages all potential applicants to visit DOJ’s website https://www.justice.gov/ffrr and start gathering the necessary documentation and affidavits to be ready to file as the process opens up to new applicants. Also, any firearm disabilities imposed under state laws will need to be dealt with separately under state restoration procedures. We will be closely monitoring DOJ’s progress on this initiative and providing updates on its implementation.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK–TIME = LIFE

“Time = Life. Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life.”

— Alan Lakein

INSPIRATION FROM THE BIKERNET MONK–Can you believe it? It’s September already.

The older I get, the faster time seems to pass. I remember when I was young, it felt like it took forever for summer to arrive—and once it did, it seemed to last forever.

There may be a simple reason for that. When we are two years old, one year represents half of our entire life. At ten, a year is one-tenth of our life. At fifty, it is only one-fiftieth. No wonder the years seem to move faster as we get older.

But perhaps the more important question isn’t how fast time passes. The question is:

What am I doing with the time I have?

One of my favorite sayings is, “Most people don’t have time to do it right the first time, but somehow they have time to do it over again.”

I think about how that relates to my own life and how much time I have spent doing things over again because I didn’t learn the lesson the first time. Think about the things many of us have repeated—diets, taking care of our health, relationships, careers, finances, habits, and decisions.

Another saying that resonates deeply with me is:

The lessons of Life are repeated until they are learned.

I can’t change the time I have already spent, but I can use the lessons from those experiences to create a better Life today. Yesterday can become wisdom rather than regret.

Every morning we are given another deposit into our account of Life: 24 hours. We can invest those hours in Love, Peace, health, relationships, purpose, service, laughter and growth—or we can spend them worrying about yesterday and fearing tomorrow.

Once today is gone, we can never buy it back.

I believe Time is one of the most precious gifts we are given. Yet we often treat it as though there will always be more.

There are no guarantees.

People leave this physical plane unexpectedly every day. It makes me ask myself: If today were my last day, would I be satisfied with how I lived it? Did I tell the people I Love that I Love them? Did I forgive? Did I laugh? Did I help someone? Did I appreciate the people around me? Did I enjoy the journey? Or did I give away another precious day to anger, resentment, fear, regret, and things that really didn’t matter?

As Cavett Robert said:

“If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.”

That certainly puts things into perspective.

My friends, make today count.

Don’t wait for someday to Live. Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Don’t wait until you have more money, more time, fewer problems, or the right circumstances.

This is the Life we have.

This is the day we have.

This is the moment we have.

Pause today and appreciate it.

Take the time to tell someone you Love them. Take the time to laugh. Take the time to forgive. Take the time to appreciate what you already have. Take the time to sit quietly in your God Space. And take the time to do something that moves you toward the Life you want to Live.

We cannot control how much time we have on this plane, but we can control how much Life we put into our time.

Today’s Affirmation

Today I recognize the precious gift of Time.

I choose to use it wisely and consciously. I do things right the first time and enjoy the benefits of living with intention.

I take the time to recognize the Divine Presence within me and Live fully in this moment.

I release anything and anyone that no longer supports the path of my highest Good. I Let Go of fear, doubt, guilt, shame, regret and negativity.

I refuse to give today’s precious moments to yesterday’s mistakes or tomorrow’s worries.

I give thanks for the incredible gift of Time, and from this moment forward, I Live My Truth fully, passionately and consciously.

I go within to My God Space and Know that I am Divinely Guided, Guarded and Directed. I accept the gift of this day and choose to make it a great one.

And So It Is.

Namaste’

“Lost time is never found again.”
— Benjamin Franklin

Today’s Contemplative Questions

1. Where am I spending precious time on things, thoughts, habits or people that no longer serve my highest Good?

2. What lesson keeps repeating in my Life because I have not yet been willing to fully learn it and make a change?

3. If today were one of the last days of my Life, what would I do differently—and why am I waiting?

–YALE

NEW FROM PROGRESSIVE SUSPENSION–

The Progressive Suspension Quik Preload System (QPS) Upgrade Kit makes adjusting the preload on PS 444 Series and 944 Series shocks easier than ever before. With the QPS Upgrade Kit installed on 444 Series and 944 Series shocks, it’s no longer necessary to take saddlebags off to adjust the sag when going from a single rider, to a two up riding configuration, and then back to a solo riding experience. This means the suspension can be set up for changes in weight load in less than a minute ensuring a perfect ride every time.

With 30 complete turns of fine-tuning preload adjustment, the maximum performance of the suspension can be dialed in with a few twists of an 8mm socket. The QPS Upgrade Kit utilizes a sealed gear drive to smoothly adjust preload and offers the same range of preload adjustment as the original 444 or 944 series shock when it comes from the factory. As with the 444 and 944 Series shocks, the QPS Upgrade Kit comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty.

Compatible with 444 and 944 Series shocks with Standard, Heavy Duty, and Super Duty spring rates

Sealed gear driven preload adjuster with 17mm of adjustment

Make quick preload adjustments without removing saddlebags

Replaces original 444/944 Series upper shock cap

30 complete turns of preload fine adjustment

Improves comfort and performance

Lifetime Limited Warranty

THIS JUST IN FROM CLINTEL–Controversy about the carbon cycle

I have been writing about the climate debate as a science journalist since 2004. My first article was a long, award-winning piece in a popular science magazine on the hockey-stick controversy. It took me two months and dozens of emails and telephone interviews with McIntyre and McKitrick to understand the issues.

I then decided to leave my job at the magazine and concentrate on climate alone. I did the research for my Dutch book De Staat van het Klimaat. In that book I stated that one of the few facts in the climate debate is that CO₂ is rising and that humans are the cause. At the time there was no real discussion of this point, and it seemed so logical. Each year about half of what we emit is taken up by the biosphere and the oceans; the rest remains in the atmosphere. Simple bookkeeping appeared to settle the matter.

So I ignored the issue and focused on other battlegrounds: climate sensitivity (I published the report A Sensitive Matter with Nic Lewis), the quality of the models, polar bears, Arctic sea ice, and so on. In 2012, with funding from the Dutch government and in cooperation with the government institutes KNMI and PBL, I was able to launch Climate Dialogue, an online platform on which we tried to organise respectful exchanges between sceptics and mainstream climate scientists. We covered topics such as Arctic sea ice (with Judith Curry as the sceptic), the tropical hotspot (with John Christy), climate sensitivity (with Nic Lewis), regional climate models (with Roger Pielke Sr), solar influence (with Nicola Scafetta, among others) and long-term persistence (with Demetris Koutsoyiannis). In general it was easy to find a sceptic and very hard to find a mainstream climate scientist willing to take part. We never discussed the carbon cycle.

In the last few years something has changed. A growing number of sceptical scientists are now also sceptical of the claim that humans play the dominant role in the rise of CO₂. It began with the Australian scientist Murray Salby in 2011. Later he worked with Hermann Harde, who is also involved with the Norwegian journal The Science of Climate Change. Ed Berry has published work on the subject. In recent years the Greek hydrologist Demetris Koutsoyiannis has also examined the issue and reached conclusions similar to those of Harde and Salby. More recently Willie Soon and Jonathan Cohler have joined this group.

Most climate sceptics still appear to take the other side and defend the IPCC position that humans have contributed most of the CO₂ increase. The CO₂ Coalition published an extensive report summarising the arguments for that view.Clintel organised a workshop in Athens in September 2024 (all videos here), at Koutsoyiannis’s university, with speakers from both sides. I dislike the word “camp”, but it is also clear that relations between the two sides have become more strained. This week Jonathan Cohler, after criticising the CO₂ Coalition’s position, resigned as a fellow of the organisation.

I find this unfortunate. We sceptics often complain that “alarmists” declare the science settled and refuse to debate us. Here we have a controversy within our own ranks. We should show the world how a proper scientific debate is conducted. Clintel is therefore fully in favour of organising another workshop on the issue (in Athens or elsewhere) or an online Climate Dialogue. A respectful exchange of views is the foundation of such a dialogue. If you would like to take part in one of these projects, please let me know.

Marcel Crok, director of Clintel
marcel.crok@clintel.org

KEGEL HARLEY ANNOUNCEMENT—I met the owner and her co-owner daughter during the Sturgis rally.

They have a major announcement unveiling this weekend. As it turns out they own the World’s Oldest “family-owned” Harley Dealership and on the 12^th during their first Rally in the Valley on Sunday they will spill the beans.

They are located at 7125 Harrison avenue in Rockford, Illinois 61112.

Marking America’s 250^th anniversary year, the milestone celebration will serve as the backdrop for a historic announcement as trhe dealership prepares to publicly share its longest-kept secret… A story which remained untold to the public for over a century.

BIKERNET GUN NUT REPORT– On Dec. 2, the court will hear two gun-rights cases together: Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins. The justices will consider whether the Second and 14th Amendments protect the right to possess AR-15-style and similar semiautomatic rifles.

Cutberto Viramontes and others challenged Cook County, Illinois’s ban on so-called assault weapons, including AR-15s and AK-47-style rifles and certain feature-based configurations.

Eddie Grant Jr. and gun-rights groups challenged Connecticut’s similar statewide ban. Lower courts in the Seventh and Second Circuits upheld both laws, treating the rifles as akin to military weapons that governments may prohibit.

Challengers, including the Second Amendment Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition, say AR-15-style rifles are among the most commonly owned long guns in the United States, in civilian use since the 1960s, and that they are therefore “arms” in common use for lawful purposes under the Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022).

Cook County has called the rifles “the weapon of choice for criminals and terrorists set on quickly massacring innocents.”

About a dozen states and several major cities have similar bans. Congress allowed a federal ban on so-called assault weapons to expire in 2004.

–EPOCH TIMES

STRANGE NEWS–Seizing A Plane Over Beer

In Jouppi v. Alaska on Dec. 1, the justices will decide whether Alaska may forfeit, or seize, a $95,000 Cessna plane after troopers found a six-pack of beer on a flight bound for a dry village.

In 2012, bush pilot Ken Jouppi was loading a flight from Fairbanks to Beaver, a community that bans alcohol, when police found Budweiser in a grocery bag among a passenger’s belongings. Jouppi was convicted of a misdemeanor for knowingly transporting alcohol. He received a short jail sentence and a fine.

Then the state sought the plane through a legal process known as civil asset forfeiture, under which property, including a vehicle, used to commit a crime is deemed an instrumentality of the crime and can be seized.

Civil libertarians and those subject to asset forfeitures arising from criminal convictions—as well as in cases where a person is merely suspected of a crime—have long complained that the practice can be arbitrary and excessive.

Jouppi’s attorneys said he does not search passengers’ luggage and that taking the aircraft for a small quantity of beer violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines. The Alaska Supreme Court disagreed, holding that “the illegal importation of even a six-pack of beer causes grave societal harm” and that forfeiture was not grossly disproportional to the gravity of the offense.

The justices will consider whether the forfeiture can be justified by the seriousness of the crime in general, or whether courts have to look at what Jouppi himself did.

Citizenship Proof in Elections

In Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, to be heard on Dec. 8, the court will decide two Arizona voting rules.

The first is whether the state may require a passport, birth certificate, or other proof of citizenship from people who register on a state form. The second is whether, in the 90 days before a federal election, Arizona may still remove voters after officials confirm they are not U.S. citizens.

A 2022 Arizona law, signed by then-Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, requires “satisfactory evidence” of U.S. citizenship—such as a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers—when a person registers on a state form. Because only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections, officials are also directed to cancel a registration if roll checks confirm the person is not a citizen.

Mi Familia Vota and other advocacy groups sued, arguing the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and a 2018 consent decree—a legally binding settlement agreement—forbid the proof requirement and barred systematic name removals during the act’s pre-election “quiet period.”

The Ninth Circuit agreed with their arguments and kept much of the law blocked. The Supreme Court had earlier allowed Arizona, pending a final ruling, to enforce the proof rule for new voter registration applicants who use the state form.

The Republican National Committee says the Ninth Circuit’s decision stopped Arizona from enforcing a basic citizenship qualification. The U.S. Department of Justice has supported the cancellation of confirmed noncitizen registrations. Voting rights groups say last-minute voter roll cleanups risk dropping eligible voters too late to correct errors.

Jack Phillips and Stacy Robinson contributed to this report.
–Epoch times

“Spreading news about seize and confiscate– Hey it’s me–Wayfarer—and it is my birthday on 11 th. Send me a “get rich soon” card, quick.” — Wayfarer

WORKING ON THE MISSION STATEMENT–Easyriders exists to keep the V-twin lifestyle loud, free, and unapologetic.

A mission statement that fits the brand—founded in 1970 as a rag for riders, not a lifestyle catalog—would sound more like a toast at a rally than a board memo. Something like this:

Mission

To be the Open Road Standard: the place where custom builders, club riders, independents, and anyone who lives for two wheels can see their world without apology. We celebrate choppers, V-twins, dirty-hands craftsmanship, open-road freedom, and the people who still believe a motorcycle is a way of life, not a weekend accessory.

What that means in practice

Show the bikes people actually build and ride—from stripped choppers to high-tech tourers—not only factory press machines.

Preserve the archive and the culture: David Mann art, rally coverage, tech that works in a garage, and the unvarnished history of the scene.

Fight for riding rights, safe roads, and the freedom to ride what you want and wear what you want.

Deliver it in print, digital, video, events, and merchandise so the next generation can find the same fire the first issues lit in 1971.

Their own 2026 “code of the West” already points the same direction: look out for riders, fight for freedoms, build whatever you want, party, and ride free.

That’s the job. Not to make biker culture respectable. To keep it alive.

SEMA Battle of the Builders– Bike Builder Shootout

NEW FOR 2026 – CALLING ALL MOTORCYCLE BUILDERS!

The Best Builds. The Boldest Customizations. Do you have what it takes to be the next Battle of The Builders Champion? There’s only one way to find out!

The 2026 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition will debut a new element – a dedicated Motorcycle category, expanding the competition to include some of the finest custom two-wheeled vehicles in America. This new 2026 SEMA Battle of the Builders: Bike Builder Shootout will take place on the opening day of the 2026 SEMA Show, Tuesday, November 3, live at the Battle of the Builders Stage in Central Hall. Entries will be evaluated separately by motorcycle industry judges based on craftsmanship, design innovation, and overall execution, with the Top 10 finalists serving as judges to determine the Top 3 category winners and the overall SEMA Battle of the Builders: Bike Builder Shootout champion.

For more info or to enter your bike click here: https://semashow.com/botb/

–Penny Osiecki
Easyriders Magazine
Advertising Director

NEW VIDEO FROM THE LOWBROW GANG—Chasing Threads

A Motorcycle Assembly Step That Can Save Your Build… Or At Least A Ton Of Frustration!

Your freshly painted frame is back.

The powder-coated parts look incredible.

Every polished and plated bit is laid out on the workbench, and you’re ready for final assembly!

BUT THEN….

The very first bolt stops after a turn or two!

Luckily, this can be avoided VERY easily

Check the Lowbrow website for the video.

In Memory and in Faith: 9/11 and Franklin D. Roosevelt

“We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity; with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike.”
—FDR, during his first inaugural address, on National Unity and Duty

–Wayfarer
Associate Editor, Bikernet.com
wayfarer@bikernet.com

Classic Easyriders Ballcaps

At last, our own classic 5-panel, High Crown, custom embroidered, Classic Hal Robinson Easyriders ballcaps made with the finest thread and designed to fit even the smallest house mouse.

I wear a ballcap everywhere I go these days to avoid the harmful effects of the sun. Since I live in Sturgis now, it can rain almost any day and having my ballcap ready saves my ass constantly.

–Bandit

“Slip over to Easyriders.com and hit the Shop button.”–Bandit

HANG ON–Today 150 give-or-take antique motorcycle riders rolled into Sturgis and stopped by Bandit’s Emporium. This included old friends, locals and guys who came from both coasts to ride the AMCA Black Hills rally. I could have taken some photos but some bastard crushed my phone.

Actually, the bike above almost doesn’t qualify. Most of these guys rode Knuckles and Panheads. There were Indians and Indian fours.