Merry Merry,
Crazy times we’re living through. My son recently opened a very cool Tattoo Parlor in upscale Orange County. He has six artists working for him, but the economy has him struggling at HardBall Tattoo. He’s also the president of a Christian MC called the Saints and rides his Twin Cam Dyna constantly.
He broke it recently when the bolts holding his pulley backed out and tore up his swingarm. The local dealer estimated $1,800.00 for repairs. My Christmas gift to him was to repair his bike at the Bikernet Interplanetary Headquarters.
I repaired the swingarm, replaced the wheel added a 140 Avon tire, and new billet pulley. When he arrived on Saturday, we replaced his crappy fork lower legs with new ones powdercoated black, and added a Screamin’ Eagle fork brace. We pumped up his suspension with a Progressive spring system and jacked up the preload for a tighter ride. Then he had to ride to Church and to a mission to help the homeless. Let’s hit the news.
You know that the majority of the economic downturn is up to us. Try to support your local shop. Get your bike service, buy a part, something to keep the brothers in business.
NEW 6-INCH CURVED PULLBACK HANDLEBAR RISER — Moves Dyna and Softail Handlebars Closer to Rider for Better Bike Fit
? The new 6-Inch Curved Pullback Riser (P/N 56266-09, $119.95) from Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories moves any one-inch diameter Harley-Davidson handlebar closer to the rider. Combined with a Harley-Davidson Reach seat and Profile Low suspension components, this chrome-plated riser can be used to reduce arm stretch and plant the rider?s feet firmly on the ground to give the rider a better ergonomic fit on the motorcycle. The installation can be finished with a Harley-Davidson decorative handlebar clamp kit and fits most one-inch diameter handlebars on Harley-Davidson Dyna and Softail models. It does not fit Springer models. Installation may require separate purchase of handlebar clamp. Installation also may affect fitment of handlebar-mounted instruments, and may require a change in clutch and/or throttle cable and brake line for some models. Handlebar height is regulated in many states. Check state or local laws before installing.
For additional information on Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories, see your local Harley-Davidson dealer or visit the Harley-Davidson Web site at www.harley-davidson.com. To find a dealer near you, call toll free 1-800-443-2153 in the U.S.A. or Canada.
W8LESS GANG DEMANDS TO RIDE VINTAGE BIKES TO STURGIS WITH BIKERNET, BILLY LANE AND CHICA– I hope you got as much of a kick of seeing Ray Wheeler’s photos “trying” to ride my Indians as I did watching him roll way! Kind of like watching a one legged man in an ass kicking contest! He felt like he needed an extra arm and leg to ride it! Very funny initially as Ray had to unlearn 45+ years of motorcycle riding in a few minutes. To his eternal credit, he did it like a trooper and didn’t stall once: it will be an experience he and I will remember.
I spoke with Ray about riding to Sturgis this summer on the Indians…my oldest son would ride one and I the other…..and he suggested I contact you to join up along the way with a larger group of vintage/antique riders that is coming together. I think it would a gas and the Indians are quite reliable (over 9000 miles on the ’39 and 1500 miles break in on the ’46) and I don’t think would have a problem. They are also the most comfortable bikes I own for long trips. Keep me in mind and please send me any info about the antique bike ride as it develops. Ray may ride up here from San Jose and then we’ll head out from Seattle to Sturgis.
John Arbeeny
W8less Products, LLC
Managing Member
WIN AN ENGINE… COMES WITH A BOBBER– Hear the Crazy Horse Interview @ Bikernet Studios
John White of Crazy Horse LLC builds Indian-style engines as a replacement for Indian Motorcycle Company built in Gilroy, California.
These EVO-based powerplants were purchased from Performance Assembly Solutions (PAS), a Michigan based company and division of Roush Racing/Ford. White made over 17 significant improvements on the engine and renamed the original Power Plus engine to V-Plus.
We are building the Bikernet/ Brass Balls Bobbers/IronWorks giveaway motorbike with the Crazy Horse mil on the pages of IronWorks Magazine and in the website at Bikernet.com. More details are located at http://www.crazyhorsemotorcycles.com. His engine is the muscle in the Brass Balls Bobbers / Bikernet / IronWorks Giveaway Bobber. To win the engine and the bobber checkout http://www.ironworksmag.com.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON’S DAYTONA WOMEN’S BOOTH–
Women have increasingly embraced the sport of motorcycling ? seeking the freedom and control associated with the open road, polished chrome and a sweet sounding engine. In fact today, the Motorcycle Industry Council estimates that more than 12% of U.S. motorcyclists are women.
To help fuel that trend and encourage women to meet and talk about their experiences, the Motor Company is also hosting a Women?s Booth at the Ocean Center throughout Daytona Bike Week where experienced women riders or those just looking for information on how to get started can learn more about the sport. The booth will include bike lift seminars as well as information about learning to ride, ?helmet hair? tips, healthy living while on the road and more.
Women that visit the booth will also have the chance to meet Karen Davidson, the great grand-daughter of one of the Motor Company founders, and are invited to share their riding stories or dreams of getting behind the handlebars by signing a banner featured at the booth.
For more information about Harley-Davidson and women and riding, visit www.harley-davidson.com/womenriders
US Department of Transportation study finds only five percent of crashes caused by excessive speed– As lawmakers around the country continue to consider speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety measure, the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years suggests this focus on speed may be misplaced.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated 5,471 injury crashes that took place across the country between July 3, 2005 and December 31, 2007. Unlike previous studies automatically generated from computerized data found in police reports, researchers in this effort were dispatched to accident scenes before they were cleared. This allowed a first-hand comparison of physical evidence with direct interviews of witnesses and others involved in the incident. NHTSA evaluated the data to determine the factors most responsible for the collision.
“The critical reason is determined by a thorough evaluation of all the potential problems related to errors attributable to the driver, the condition of the vehicle, failure of vehicle systems, adverse environmental conditions, and roadway design,” the report explained. “The critical pre-crash event refers to the action or the event that puts a vehicle on the course that makes the collision unavoidable, given reasonable driving skills and vehicle handling of the driver.”
Overall, vehicles “traveling too fast for conditions” accounted for only five percent of the critical pre-crash events (page 23). More significant factors included 22 percent driving off the edge of a road, or 11 percent who drifted over the center dividing line.
When driver error was the primary cause of a crash, researchers went further to identify the “critical reason” behind that error. Distraction and not paying attention to the road accounted for 41 percent of the errors. Ten percent of errors were attributed to drivers lacking proper driving skills and either freezing up or overcompensating behind the wheel. Eight percent were asleep, having a heart attack or otherwise incapacitated. A similar eight percent of errors were attributed to driving too fast for conditions and five percent driving too fast for a curve (page 25).
The NHTSA findings are mirrored in accident statistics provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency’s most recent report lists “speed too fast” as the driver error that caused 2.9 percent of crashes in 2007. More accidents — 3.8 percent — were caused in Virginia by drivers falling asleep or becoming ill behind the wheel. Another 14.6 percent were caused by bad weather such as fog, rain and snow. “Speed too fast” was a more significant factor — 13.7 percent — in fatal accidents, as compared to 18 percent of fatal accidents involving alcohol and 9.6 percent caused by sleepiness and fatigue (PDF File view full Virginia report in 1.9mb PDF format).
In the NHTSA and Virginia reports, “too fast for conditions” does not mean exceeding the posted speed limit. A vehicle driving 10 MPH on an iced-over road with a 45 MPH limit would be traveling too fast for the conditions if it lost control, but it would not have exceeded the speed limit. The UK Department for Transport isolated cases where only the posted limit was exceeded and found that, “Exceeding speed limit was attributed to 3 percent of cars involved in accidents” (view UK report).
“Four of the six most frequently reported contributory factors involved driver or rider error or reaction,” the Road Casualties Great Britain 2007 report stated. “For fatal accidents the most frequently reported contributory factor was loss of control, which was involved in 35 per cent of fatal accidents.”
A full copy of the NHTSA report is available in a 400k PDF file at the source link below.
Source: PDF File National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (U.S. Department of Transportation, 7/15/2008)
www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2008/us-crashcause.pdf>
–from Rogue
CITY OF STURGIS AND MOTORING USA REACH SPONSORSHIP AGENCY AGREEMENT– Sturgis, South Dakota ? December 19, 2008 ? The City of Sturgis and Motoring USA, LLC have reached an agreement designating Motoring USA as its exclusive sponsorship agency for the 2009 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. 2009 will mark the 69th celebration of the Sturgis event which is the largest and most- respected motorcycle rally in the world.
The sponsorship program allows the City of Sturgis in conjunction with its corporate sponsors to support the Sturgis community including the Chamber of Commerce and Sturgis Rally Charities Foundation in many important ways. Presently the city has twenty plus sponsors committed to supporting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally including such world class corporations as Harley Davidson, Ford, Sony and Jack Daniels.
Sturgis City Manager Dave Boone cites the investment by Sturgis Motorcycle Rally sponsors as contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to the City?s bottom line. ?These sponsors look to us to assist them in making the right impression on the Sturgis motorcycling audience, and in return their financial support could not be more important to our community.?
The sponsorship agent of record for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will work closely with the City of Sturgis Department Heads as well as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally acting Director, Brenda Vasknetz, ?On behalf of the Sturgis Rally Department we are very excited that John Detrick will be a part of the core team that makes this event a positive experience for our sponsors, visitors and vendors who attend our annual event, as well as, enhancing the economic well being of the event for the citizens of Sturgis and the Sturgis area. John has a lot of enthusiasm and relationships already built that will enhance the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.?
Motoring USA specializes in automotive marketing, public relations, and publishing activities and is operated by John Detrick who has extensive experience in the concert and automotive special events industry at the CEO level.
Detrick, a lifelong motorcycling enthusiast, most recently served as chief executive officer for the largest presenter of collector car, truck, and motorcycle events in the world prior to founding Motoring USA. When asked about the announcement he responded, ?Sponsorship and events have a long-standing relationship of mutual importance. Sturgis is the most important motorcycle event in the world and I look forward to helping take a proven program to new levels of success.? For more information on the City of Sturgis, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Sponsorship, or Motoring USA please visit www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com or www.motoringusamagazine.com.
JIMS BIKERNET SUNDAY TOOL, Compression Release Valve Tool– Guide Fixture For Drilling Compression Release Use this tool for machining all Twin Cam? heads 1999 and later, for preparing heads to install JIMS No.727K compression release valves. Install on the front or rear head, with or without the valves installed. Simply drill, spot face, tap and install compression release valves No.727K.
No.1169 – Use on all Twin Cam ?A? or ?B? models.
Suggested Retail Price: $360.70
–JT Lepien
Graphic Art and Marketing Department
www.jimsusa.com
TRIBUTE BIKE RAFFLE FOR STRUGGLING 3-YEAR OLD KEGAN– Kegan appears to be a healthy, energetic, 3 year-old boy. And like many his age, he runs as soon as he’s out of his car seat, but Kegan?s activity level is deceiving–sometimes making it difficult to believe that he has Chiari malformation and pseudotumor cerebri. He runs because it’s easier than walking, When he walks it?s very slow and he focuses on the steps.
Chiari malformation is a structural abnormality in the cerebellum. The cerebellum extends from the skull, places pressure on both the brain and spine, and impedes the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Basicaly the brain falls onto the spinal cord causing paralysis.
Pseudotumor cerebri, high intracranial pressure, is usually present in teenage girls who are over weight it is very rarely found in children and Never in boys. The body produces too much spinal fluid and it builds up in the brain forcing it outward into the skull causing extensive damage and death. Both of these are Very Rare. We have also been informed that when Kegan sleeps part of his brain actually shuts down yet produces high ampules.
Kegan has already undergone 22 spinal taps to relieve the pressure, which causes excruciating headaches. We likened his condition to having a 10-pound brain in a skull that houses a nine-pound brain. Possible Pseudotumor Cerebri side effects include swelling of the brain pushing out into the skull.( In his case if his skull had not gave way he would have not survived).
He has had 2 small strokes as well Possible Chiari symptoms include headaches caused by coughing or laughing, muscle weakness, eye dysfunction?s, numbness, difficulty swallowing, difficulty articulating words, and loss of consciousness because of lack of blood flow to the brain–symptoms that disrupt daily life
We first noticed something awry when Kegan was 6 months old. His head began to increase rapidly in size to 43 cm, which eventually led to plagiocephaly–flattening of the skull, Macrocephalay ?enlarged head, as well as his cranial sutures separating. As Kegan grew, the symptoms worsened.”He would scream for hours, reaching for the back of his head, and his eyes were almost always closed.
He has a high sensitivity to light “He rarely slept through the night. Our search for someone who was experienced with Psuedotumor Cerebri in children brought us to Dr Kim Manwaring and Children?s Hospital in Phoeniox, Az”
Since then, Kegan has undergone surgery to have a lumbar shunt placed Dr. Manwaring has created a special shunt for this type of disease and multiple procedures related to a shunt that drains excess spinal fluid.
“He has high pressure due to too much spinal fluid, It’s like shaking up a pop bottle. It has nowhere to go.”
Kegan?s in uncharted territory, There’s no cure. They try to alleviate the symptoms.” When I talk to him he just stares at me blankly and then when I repeat myself he has no idea that I’m talking to him. Its like his brain is not processing what I’m saying.
I hate what these kids have to go through. I hate that as a mom I have absolutely no control over my son?s condition and I have to sit back and watch him suffer. As other moms with kids that have medical conditions I know that you are shaking your heads right now because you know exactly what I’m talking about. If this were any other industry and cars failed as much as the medical system…. It would NOT be accepted.
While we do have insurance there are no pediatric neurosurgeons who will touch him in Nevada. Dr. Manwaring has done all that he can. What we are trying to do now is raise money to get him to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota there is a Dr. Marc Patterson who has agreed to care for him. This is all at our expense we must prepay for all services. We have maxed out all of our resources. It costs $5,000.00 just to set the appointment plus MRIs, Cat scans at $3,000.00 Lab work ect. We must travel and stay in Minnesota for 3-5 days ? Then we will find out if they can do surgery to save him. (Which we will also have to pay for. We are an average family he is a beautiful gift from god. Thank you all for your help and prayers.
We are raffling off a Harley-Davidson to help raise money to help cover the costs of the surgery that Kegan has to have. There is going to be a benefit party at Mulligan?s Landing with lots of things planned. There will be something for everyone, Kids are not allowed in the bar so there will be stuff happening in the parking lot from 3pm to dark.
The bike will be given away at Mulligan?s Landing (2851 N. Rancho Rd Lav Vegas NV.). Kegan will draw the winning ticket at the event, on December 20th 2008 at 5PM. You do not need to be present to win the bike. There will be other items given away at the event and you will need to be present to win any of those items. We are receiving new items everyday from merchants in the Las Vegas area.
The Bike was gone through by Henderson Harley-Davidson to make sure it is in perfect running order and everything works correctly. The bike is a 1995 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Custom (FLSTC) and is Purple and Black. The bike has over fifty LED lights so it definitely lights up at night at you will be seen. The bike also has so many addons that it would take up this whole page to list them all.
You can send the payment of twenty dollars per ticket to Paypal also https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1289682
— Angie and Dean Childs 702-812-1676
There has been an account set up for him at Wells Fargo 1800-869-3557
Kegan Childs Account number is ? 7293434150
AMD CONTRIBUTOR NAMED CONTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR– The Guild of Motoring Writers has this year named AMD contributor Alan Cathcart Journalist of the Year.
The Guild, which is made up of press and media correspondents covering the automotive, motorcycle and commercial vehicle sectors is represented in 32 countries around the world, from Europe to Japan, and the USA to Australia.
Cathcart, who has ridden and reviewed Roland Sand’s KRV5 and written about the history of Buell and the relaunch of Indian Motorcycles, received the award at the Royal Automobile Club in London’s Pall Mall.
The criterion of the award is based upon: “The Guild member adjudged to have made the most outstanding journalistic achievement in any medium – newspaper, magazine, book, radio, television or film. Particular emphasis is placed on initiative and endeavour.”
Among Cathcart’s achievements during 2008 was the testing every single factory MotoGP and World Superbike motorcycle in a single race season, making him the only journalist to have ever done so.
“I’m extremely honoured to be recognized in this way by my journalist colleagues on both two and four wheels,” said Alan Cathcart. “I’m also very thankful to the race teams and factories concerned for having entrusted me with their exotic, ultra-expensive machines on an ongoing basis for so many years, and hope this will continue into the future. I’m also appreciative of the support of the magazines around the world which publish my articles, and their readers who read them and make it all possible.”
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