Here’s the news from the desert. Laughlin was happening and we sent the notorious Agent Zebra to check out the Las Vegas/Kounts Customs Anti-Laughlin, $250,000 poker run. It’s just one of the many Anti-Laughlin gouge runs popping up. On the other grip Laughlin was happening as usual. The girls were hot, the street crammed, the Casino hopping, but run had it that the major vendors were down from last year.
The HOT BIKE, Street Chopper and Hot Rod Bikes crew hit the run like mad dogs, talking to drunks on the streets, hitting on girls, shooting bike features, nailing down future issue techs so that we picked up on all the hottest action.
Fortunately Friday was overcast and in the mid 70?s so the stroll from parking lot to lot was a good time sans the sweat and we spoke to industry friends from coast to coast. You’ve got to check out Scott Longs bottle cap gas caps, and finally a company is making P-pads with class, Crime Scene. But we’ll get to all the action later. Let’s hit the news:
During the 4 am hour of the Midnight Trucking Radio Show on Dallas Radio Station WBAP, owned by ABC/Disney, announcer Joe Kelly related the following sentiment against motorcyclists. Mr. Kelly was reading the latest Texas traffic death statistics and noted that deaths occurring on motorcycles had a significant increase this past year. Mr. Kelly’s reply to this statistic was “Good!”. Mr. Kelly went on to say in a very condescending way, “Anyone who rides a motorcycle has a death wish”. That was all Mr. Kelly said on the subject and moved on.
We find that Mr. Kelly’s statement about higher death rates on motorcycles as being “Good” to be offensive and without sympathy. Mr. Kelly’s audience is mostly big rig truckers, but we are sure that some of those truckers are motorcyclist as well. We are suggesting that you call WBAP in Dallas and demand an apology from Mr. Kelly for his lack of discretion in this matter.
Concerned Bikers of Texas:
Contact Bob Schomper, Program Director/Operations Manager. His number is 817/695-0861
Rogue
The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is excited to announce it will open it’s most recent exhibit, Hollywood on Two Wheels, in May 2005.
The exhibit will consist of 40 plus motorcycle film posters from the 60’s and 70s, the height of the B movie era. “This collection of posters represent films that, by today’s standards, would seem outrageous, however it’s undeniable that they are an important part of our history,” states museum director Pepper Massey-Swan. “The poster art depicts ridiculous stereotypes and uses outlandish descriptions, but at the same time, it’s a wonderful trip down memory lane!”
With titles like Devil Rider and The Mini-Skirt Mob and tickler lines that read, “The cycle jungle of raw flesh”, “murder at 120 miles per hour” and “they fear no man, respect no law and tonight they ride for vengeance”, these films were meant to thrill and tantalize. They were extremely far from reality.
Keeping all of this in mind and viewing the collection for art and history sake, you won’t be disappointed. “We were extremely fortunate to acquire the collection,” Massey-Swan continues, “and it’s certain to draw people in, it is that impressive.” Some traditional and more main stream films, such as the Roustabout, Easy Rider, Electra Glide in Blue and Viva Knievel!, are also represented in the collection.
The collection is owned by local motorcycle restorer Lonnie Isam, Jr. and will be on loan to the Museum through the 2005 Rally.
First of all, you civilian maggot, it’s SPECIAL Agent Who. Second, only a “gay” person would decline to carry the .50 Desert Eagle because it’s “slightly heavy”.
For god’s sake, man, do some push-ups. My disgust over this admission of softness is mitigated somewhat by your entirely correct assessment of the worth of liberals. All things considered, the USP .40 is not a bad choice, since it’s what you have available. However, at some point you should plead with your wife to let you shoot the big boy’s round, thr .45 ACP.
I’m concerned about the “breakaway holster” in which you proposed carrying your firearm. I suggest that such a holster would be pointless to own. But perhaps you meant to describe it as a holster with a THUMB BREAK.
Do I have to explain everything? — Yrs, Trly, Best Wishes, Good Hunting, etc.,
— S.A.Z.
By DAVID HENCH
Portland Press Herald Writer
Portland police worry that Tuesday’s shooting at a tattoo parlor on Forest Avenue may be the first shots in a turf war between rival motorcycle gangs.
The department plans to increase patrols in response to what police say was a premeditated attack by members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang on a group believed to be allied with the Hell’s Angels.
“There’s no doubt this was planned by these men,” Chief Michael Chitwood said at a news conference Wednesday.
“We’re not going to let them come in and shoot up our city,” he said. “It endangers an entire community.” The last time motorcycle gang rivalries flared in Portland, police responded with a major increase in the number of officers patrolling downtown. For the most part, the conflict passed. The department plans a similar approach this summer, Chitwood said.
“They violate the law, they’re going to be locked up,” he said.
Chitwood said Tuesday’s attack, which happened just after 1 p.m., appears to signal that the Outlaws are trying to expand their dominance into Maine.
Moments before the shooting, witnesses saw three men on motorcycles and another in a pickup truck, all wearing Outlaws insignias on their clothing, in discussion a few blocks from the Portland Tattoo Shop, Chitwood said.
The men then rode to the shop, where those on the motorcycles entered through a rear door, he said.
They confronted three men wearing insignias of the Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club. Members of that group visit the tattoo shop regularly, police said. There was an argument, followed by a fistfight and then a gunshot, police said.
A 58-year-old man from Denmark was shot once. The bullet grazed his groin, then passed through his leg, Chitwood said. It was not clear whether the location of the wound was intentional. The three men ran out the back door and drove off.
Chitwood said that when biker gangs attack, they typically have a pickup in case they need to haul a damaged motorcycle, weapons or an injured member, or to interfere with pursuit.
There is no indication that the victim knew his attackers. It is the policy of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram not to publish the names of victims of violent crime while the perpetrators remain at large. Police said they expected the man to be released from the hospital Wednesday.
“Our best guess is there will be retaliation for this shooting,” Chitwood said. “When retaliation occurs, you can bet it’s going to be the Hell’s Angels.”
The Hell’s Angels and the Outlaws are two of the largest and most powerful motorcycle gangs in the country.
Police say many of the motorcycle clubs in Maine are affiliated with or are friendly with the Hell’s Angels. Some, like the Iron Horsemen, the Saracens and the Mountain Men, descended on Portland in 2002 when an Outlaws affiliate, the Black Pistons, started a chapter in Portland.
Unlike many of the groups, the Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club is organized around a shared experience: military service during the Vietnam War. The group asserts that it is unlike many other motorcycle gangs.
“We are not a criminal organization nor do we have any intention of becoming one . . . We do not get involved with the private business of other motorcycle clubs or their problems,” according to the club’s creed, posted on its Web site.
Chitwood said one member of the club who was at the tattoo shop Tuesday was carrying a handgun tucked into his belt and had a concealed-weapons permit to carry it. The man, who is from Cornville, did not pull the gun during the melee.
The other member who was not injured had a concealed-weapons permit but no gun, Chitwood said.
That man, who is from Bridgton, had a protection-from-abuse order against him and therefore is barred from carrying a gun, Chitwood said.
Investigating motorcycle gangs can be difficult because members, even those who are victims of crime, seldom cooperate with authorities, police say.
Rogue
Yep, it’s the third annual HOT BIKE, Bikernet.com, Street Chopper and Bike Works Charity Ride to Sturgis. I’ll give you a brief rundown: The charity efforts are to support the Crazy Horse Monument in the Black Hills. We leave from Phoenix on Wednesday the 3rd of August and ride along warm twisting highways, ducking interstates wherever possible to Durango, Colorado for the night. Then it’s up Thursday morn and down the terrific mountain roads into Aspen, Colorado for the night. Both these towns are knock-outs for terrific restaurants and nightlife. Friday morning we cut a dusty trail north again into Cheyenne and we’re almost home. Saturday we meander up killer roads into the Badlands and Deadwood, but we won’t stop until we reach the Full Throttle Saloon for our first party of the Rally.
It’s a chance to ride with the staffs of all three mags and the girls of Bikernet to Sturgis. We’ve designed the ride to be comfortable and entertaining while supporting the Crazy Horse Monument. Each day will cover 250-300 miles so we’ll roll into town in time to hang out by the pool, hit the gym, shop in town then have a killer meal. We’re looking for Industry Companies to sponsor each evening meal, beginning in Durango, then Aspen and finally in Cheyenne. We’ll handle all the arrangements, just pick up the tab and support our Charity. Full Throttle will take care of our First Rally Party in Sturgis. That’s it, you cover the hotels and your expenses, we make all the arrangements and you make a donation to Crazyhorse.
To get hooked up you need to contact Jorelene, our travel agent and line up hotels. She will have rooms booked from Phoenix to Cheyenne and if you’re not hooked up in Sturgis, she’ll try to help. Her email address is – carefreetours@hawaii.rr.com.
We can’t wait for the ride.
BY MATTHEW J. DOWLING AND CATHY BUGMAN
Star-Ledger Staff
A Somerset County man gunned down Sunday in a Manville sports bar was killed because he was wearing a Hells Angels T-shirt, authorities said yesterday.
John Grover, 40, of Hillsborough was killed by two members of the Pagans motorcycle gang who thought Grover was a member of the rival Hells Angels, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.
But Grover didn’t even own a motorcycle, according to close friends, and police say he had no criminal record and there is no evidence he was a gang member.
A T-shirt with a flaming skull logo given to him by a friend was his only connection to the “New Roc City” chapter of the Hells Angels based in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Gang experts said the shooting is more evidence of an escalating turf war in New Jersey between Pagans and the infamous Angels, which has chapters worldwide but is just starting to take root locally.
“The Hells Angels are moving into what has primarily been known as Pagan territory,” said Detective Sgt. Rick Foote, supervisor of the Street Gang Unit for the State Police. “They are actively looking to open a chapter here.”
Forrest said two known Pagans, William “Rodent” Martin and Peter Ciarletta, have been arrested in the murder of Grover.
According to police, the two Pagans were sent to Gatto’s Sports Cafe in Manville looking for someone affiliated with the Hells Angels.
Martin, 33, of North Plainfield and Ciarletta, 28, of Warren went armed with two handguns and quickly spotted Grover and his friend watching the Yankee game at Gatto’s, a neighborhood bar not known as a biker hangout, Forrest said.
Martin and Ciarletta sat opposite Grover, glaring at him for more than 30 minutes before they left through a side door. Accounts differ as to whether they exchanged words with Grover, but Grover followed them outside.
As he opened the outside door, Martin pulled a 9-mm handgun from his waistband and fired four times from about 10 feet away, Forrest said.
Two shots struck Grover, one in the leg and one in the abdomen, knocking him back into the bar. Martin jumped into a Jeep Wrangler driven by Ciarletta and they sped off toward Hillsborough, Forrest said.
A witness, who asked not to be identified, rushed to Grover’s side and applied towels from the bar to his leg wound, which was gushing blood.
The witness said he kept asking, “John, are you with me?” to make sure he didn’t lose consciousness before medical help arrived. Grover was still conscious as EMTs arrived and transported him to Somerset Medical Center, the witness said.
He was later pronounced dead.
“We’re still shaken up about what happened,” said Bobby Gatto, owner of the bar where Grover was a regular. “We called 911 and they came immediately. It was just crazy. Surreal.”
Hillsborough police quickly spotted the red Jeep being driven by Ciarletta and pulled it over at Beekman Lane and Conover Drive, Forrest said.
Martin bailed out and fled on foot through a wooded area, Forrest said. He was captured after a brief chase by two officers and a 9-mm handgun was found nearby, Forrest said. A second .22-caliber handgun was found in between the front seats of the Jeep, Forrest said.
Martin and Ciarletta were arraigned yesterday in Somerville on murder and weapons charges before Superior Court Judge Paul Armstrong.
Somerset County Sheriff’s officers patrolled the front of the courthouse building with dogs, and an officer in riot gear was visible in the hallway behind Armstrong’s bench before the hearing. Eleven sheriff’s officers were present in the courtroom during the proceeding where Armstrong set bail at $1 million for each.
Martin has been convicted of violent gang activity in the past. In 2001, he was charged with attempting to kill a Trenton-based Pagan, who wanted to start his own motorcycle gang. The victim’s stab wounds to his chest, side and neck required 170 stitches to close.
Martin later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the stabbing and got five years of probation when the victim declined to testify against his fellow gang member.
Foote, the State Police gang expert, said New Jersey authorities have been watching closely the violence between Pagans and Hells Angels since the 2003 clash at a party thrown by the Hells Angels on Long Island where one person was killed, 10 were wounded and 70 were arrested.
Rogue
WE ESCAPED LAUGHLIN SATURDAY MORNING–after three breakfast meetings. We snuck back to the room, packed out shit attempted to haul ass across the warm desert with clear blue skies overhead. Ah, but we couldn’t escape the vast 85-story Flamingo parking structure without running smack dab into Agent Zebra. He covered the Vegas action, but it wasn’t enough for him so he hauled ass to the Laughlin to compare the crowds. Watch for his report along with Laughlin Action in the September issue of HOT BIKE.
We finally cut a dusty trail for as far as possible without entering an interstate. It was cool to rumble only along two lane highways into Goffs, Amboy, 29-Palms, Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley before hitting the 10 Interstate just north of Palm Springs. We had the pleasure of a barbecue in Yucca Valley with Bob T. his wife Lee and their son John. I rode with Bob in the ’70s and hadn’t seen him since. He’s been in hiding, from his wild days, in the desert for 30 years.
His brother is Chris T. from Hawaii our connection for the Choppers Only show, July 4th. I plan to have my Sturgis Shovel shipped over for a week whipping around the island.
Bob is a classic. His bikes are all traditional chopper style (black) and he still has his first Shovel. He installed a Trock worked over, CV carb, on it this weekend and replaced the old S&S B. “It’s never run so fine,” he said after his partner Glen reworked the jets.
Anytime I’m chasing women across the desert I’ll stop at Bob’s for Lee’s barbecue and old stories about the early days of Harley aftermarket performance. Bob was a member of the original ER Streamliner team. The man, Bob George, who built it, taught me how to build engines. I hooked Bob George up with Joe Teresi for the funding to make the ER/Jammer streamliner a world class contender and ultimately the fastest motorcycle on the planet for over a decade. Good times.
Okay, let’s blaze.
Ride forever,
–Bandit
