Hey,
Wow! It’s father’s day, Sin Wu is bitchin’ at me about going to Sturgis, instead of taking her on a lovely vacation. I’m scrambling to get the post handled, so we can ride to Century Motors for a Vincent gathering. The post is kicking my ass. I’m trying to wrap up a Jeremiah 5-Ball Racing feature for Cycle Source. And Markus Cuff is breathing down my neck to hook up this Vincent feature with Back Street Heroes Magazine in England.
Doctor Hamster is rolling over at noon with a 1951 Sunbeam to ride to San Pedro. I’m thinking about riding the Dicey Knucklehead, but it hasn’t been started in a year. My son, Frank is headed this direction with his gang of Christian club “Saints.” He wants me to adjust his rear Dyna belt. And Sin Wu wants to know what we’re doing for Dinner. I thought this was supposed to be a relaxing Father’s Day. Let’s hit it, before I’m in more trouble:
HOT LACONIA REPORT DIRECT FROM THE STREETS– I am sitting in the U.S.A. Lock and Load tent at the Lobster Pound in Laconia. The rain doesn’t seem to slow these New Englanders down. Traffic on the roads is still backed up with mostly motorcycles. Fortunately it was a great day yesterday, plenty of sunshine and everyone was out having a good time.
U.S.A. Lock and Load is raffling off a guitar for $5 a ticket with all the proceeds going to www.operationhomefront.net so they got on the Roadhouse stage and people came out of the wood work to support the troops. The fat belly contest put on at the Roadhouse which was unbelieveable!
Talked to Andy at Hot Leathers and he said they were doing well although the rain was rough on everyone. I took a walk on Weir’s beach and saw cops pulling people over for no eye protection at dusk, which was where I met up with Mike Lichter, we ended up having a great lobster roll dinner at the Lobster Pound and seeing the fireworks.
A great first time Laconia experience…I expect to be back for many more years to come!
–Ken
THE GOVERNMENT CODE OF THE WEST– A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson
THE CHINAMAN’S CANTINA OPTIMIST CODE– & Variation Law If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time). & Law of the Bath When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings. & Law of Close Encounters The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with. & Law of the Result When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.
–Bill Stratton
WANNA KNOW WHERE BIKERNET READERS HAIL FROM–
International, 11.13 percent
California, 10.71 percent
Texas, 6.3 percent
Florida, 5.46 percent
Ohio-Illinois, 6.72 percent
New York, 3.15 percent
Pennsylvania, 3.50 percent
Washington, 2.94 percent
Virginia, 2.63 percent
All other states, 47.91 percent
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?– Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. — Ricky , age 10
–from Chopper Dave Monson
NEW ISSUE FROM LATTS AND ATTS–Don’t miss it on the stands now.
Speaking of ?critters,? how about this one?– A guy decided he wanted a pet, and determined he would get an exotic one, so decided on a gorilla. Upon searching around for one, somebody told him a fellow out in the country had several of them, and he could probably buy one. Sure ?nuff ? he goes out and here is a guy with a tree full of gorillas. Would he sell one?
?Sure,? he sez ? ?which one do you want??
The pet hunter looked up in the tree and finally said, ?I think I want that big black one ? way out on that limb.?
The owner says, ?OK ? you wait right here and I?ll be right back with the equipment we need to catch him.? He returns in a few minutes with three things ? a big net, a pit bull and a baseball bat.
The prospective buyer asked, ?what in the world is all that; how can we catch a gorilla with that? You sure that will work??
?Yeah,? says the gorilla salesman. ?You see, it works like this. I?m gonna climb up in that tree and shake that limb. When the gorilla falls out of the tree, that pit bull is highly trained; he will grab that ape right where he sits down and will hang on. If that gorilla tries to get loose that pit bull will tear him up. Then while the dog has him, you throw the net over him, and presto! We got him!?
The yet apprehensive buyer says, ?well ? ok. But what is that baseball bat for??
The seller says, ?well, I guess something COULD go wrong. If I fall out of the tree instead of the gorilla, you take that baseball bat and beat that dog to death with it!?
Yeah ? I guess it will work ?
–from Donna ONeal
C&E SPEED SHOP OPENING– Well we have a date to open July 25TH 2009. C&E Will replace Auburn, California Harley-Davidson.
C&E Auburn V-Twin., Inc.
12075 Locksley Ln.
Auburn CA 95602
530 885 5556
NEW CHANCE BOOK COMING IN JULY– Is the new Chance book you mention different than the Vince & Chance book that you have part of on the website? If it is, did the V& C book ever get published?
–Brent R.
It’s the rewritten version of Vince and Chance. We’re still working on the title: Chance Hogan I, Riding a Web of Deceit. That’s one shot at a title. We are currently working on the cover art and book layout. George Fleming helped with chapter break art work, above.–Bandit
FLORIDA INSIDERS REPORT– It is the best time of year here in Florida. Right between Bike Week and Biketoberfest. No tourists screwing up traffic. School girls dressed up like hookers. Hookers dressed up like school girls. Got to love this place. Lots going on in the world. I don’t want to get into an us, versus them, but this Homeland Security crap is doing more harm than good. I recently heard of a retired patch holder’s old lady was denied a job because he was on a terrorist list. Used to be all you had to worry about was going to jail now and then. Now they want to ruin your life. No job, no passport, no plane flights, no rights, no privacy, and they will outlaw your colors. This is already happening to many of us. Home of the free, right?
Hell yeah to SEMA! This has been a great organization for many years. They have done so much to promote the gear head way of life. They know how to deal with the government to get sensible legislation enacted. In the long run, things will get much easier for builders to deal with local DOT’s. Anything that gives us a common voice is a positive.
Good to see some of the big banks giving back the bail out money. I guess the big shots couldn’t live with the salary caps. I still don’t understand the government giving Chrysler to Fiat. I mean gave it to them. FREE! No money. Fiat has not has a presense in the USA for years. Couldn’t compete. So, I ask. How do they expect Fiat to make Chrysler viable?
I read the thing about being a biker and how many spokes you have. He forgot one thing. If you care how many spokes you have, you ain’t a biker. Which brings up another thing. If you spent more on your leathers, jewelry, and getting your look just right than you spent on that old clapped out Sportster, I don’t want to talk to you. But, if you are the 16-year-old kid on the Vespa with the shaved head and expansion chamber and had to borrow the money to get it dynoed, you got my attention.
Just my thoughts. Time to fire up the shovel.
–Big Bill
BROCK?S PERFORMANCE-EQUIPPED KEITH THOMPSON SMASHES THE 7-SECOND BARRIER IN AMA DRAGBIKE?S BST REAL STREET CLASS– DAYTON, Ohio. (June 19, 2009) ? Brock?s Performance-equipped Keith Thompson set a major drag-racing milestone at the AMA Dragbike Summer Nationals, becoming the first racer to reach the 7s in the BST Real Street class.
Thompson scored the record-setting 7.98 sec./172.39 mph pass on his HTP Cycles-prepared 2007 GSX-R1000 using a trio of premier Brock?s Performance brands: carbon fiber wheels from BST, Brock?s patent-pending TiWinder, a titanium, elliptical, side-mounted exhaust system and a Brock?s Dragshock by ?hlins.
Real Street is a limited-budget class with heads-up, no-breakout competition. Although internal engine modifications are unlimited, Real Street power levels are controlled by mandating an OEM-style, non-lockup clutch. Real-world reliability is proven in 10-mile road course tests at selected events.
This run was laid down during Saturday?s first round of qualifying and backed up within one percent for the record books as Thompson climbed to the top of the ladder.
?The 8.01s and 8.02s have been coming easily, so I wanted to be the first guy in the sevens,? said the 42-year-old straight-lining veteran from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. ?Finally, I got that monkey off my back. I?d like to thank Brock?s Performance for sponsoring me this year and Brock Davidson for all his tuning help and advice this weekend.?
Without enough time for his bike?s clutch to cool from an earlier run, Thompson went out in the semi-final round, but continues to lead the BST Real Street championship point standings with four rounds of the series remaining.
Thompson?s accomplishment resonates with Davidson, Brock?s Performance president and a former American Suzuki Motor Corporation-sponsored racer who, in 2000, was the first man to take a street-legal motorcycle into the seven-second bracket.
?After watching Keith run last year, I knew he would really fly with our products,? said Davidson. ?Drag racing is all about control and attention to details, so we chose Keith and Team HTP to prove the strengths of our exclusive product lines. This milestone is an accomplishment that can never be duplicated. In racing, records are made to be broken, but only Keith can stake claim as the first to run a seven-second pass in the Real Street class.?
For more information on all of Brock?s Performance parts and race team reports, go to BrocksPerformance.com.
MMA IN MASSACHUSETTS CHECKS IN– Anyway I can help out with the biker rights let me know, I?ve always been very active in contacting our legislators etc. about not messing with our right to ride???.
I belong to the MMA in Massachusetts which is a great org looking out for the biker with a modified scoot, been trying to get our lid law repealed for years.
–Nick
THE OFFICIAL HEATHER NEW UPDATE– …just got some assembled photos of the work too…
LTW,
–Heather
SO LONG TO WALLY’S MUSEUM– The underground drag racing nostalgia rumor mill has been buzzing since Agent 1320 broke the story of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum?s imminent departure from the current Pomona Fairplex location. The latest report is that the move may now come as soon as this December and will happen without much fanfare, with the NHRA-owned contents to end up at the well-financed Petersen Automotive Museum on LA?s Wilshire Boulevard.
Since this story broke, Petersen Automotive Museum Director Dick Messer (pictured) has been attending the NHRA Museum Cruise Nights, parking his cool hot rod prominently near the main entrance during the monthly proceedings.
New info coming in is that current NHRA Museum senior management has signed confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements about the pending merger in exchange for a lucrative severance package. The agent hears that staff resumes are being faxed all around the West Coast. And, according to multiple SEMA sources, the SEMA Board of Directors has been informed that their Hall of Fame will no longer be housed at the Pomona Museum after this year.
So far nothing has been confirmed or denied by NHRA Glendora brass, but it is clear from all reports that Tom Compton and Company are no longer interested in financing the NHRA Museum. A look at the tax returns for the Museum shows that it was marginally profitable at best and depended on the highly profitable NHRA Reunions at Bowling Green and Famoso Raceway, to help fund the Museum. If either venue were to suffer a rainout, the loss of income would be covered by the NHRA budget. Not a comforting thought for the NHRA, which this year at least has its own money problems due to weather. What will happen to the two Reunion races is not yet known, but the NHRA isn?t known for giving up profitable races.
–Tom Easterday
New dates for INTERMOT Cologne 2010– Starting in 2010, the biggest event for two-wheelers will begin one week earlier than in the past.
Beginning in 2010, INTERMOT Cologne ? International Motorcycle, Scooter and Bicycle Fair will start one week earlier than in the past. ?By bringing forward the dates of the fair, we are responding to the sector?s wishes to further ease the international trade fair calendar,? explains Oliver P. Kuhrt, Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse. Reiner Brendicke, General Manager of the German Motorcycle Industry Association (IVM), welcomes these new dates: ?Bringing INTERMOT Cologne forward to early October meets the interests of the companies in the IVM. The manufacturers and importers of motorcycles and scooters are looking forward to the numerous premieres, as are the accessories companies, who will be presenting their latest products to the trade visitors and end consumers.? The new dates for next year?s INTERMOT Cologne are 6th to 10th October 2010.
INTERMOT Cologne
6th to 10th October 2010
Koelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 1
Germany
Phone + 49 221 821 2366
Fax + 49 221 821 3285
a.scheidt@koelnmesse.de
www.koelnmesse.de
MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY COUNCIL (MIC) New stationary on-highway motorcycle sound test standard released by SAE– The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International has produced a simple, consistent and economical sound test standard that can be used to determine whether a streetbike (on-highway motorcycle) exhaust system emits excessive sound, the AMA reports.
The J2825 “Measurement of Exhaust Sound Pressure Levels of Stationary On-Highway Motorcycles,” issued by the SAE in May, establishes instrumentation, test site, test conditions, procedures, measurements and sound level limits. According to the SAE, the J2825 standard is based on a comprehensive study of a wide variety of on-highway motorcycles.
“The motorcycling community and law enforcement have long sought a practical field test for measuring street motorcycle exhaust sound,” said Ed Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations. “Thanks to the hard work of the Motorcycle Industry Council, and the SAE engineers involved in the project, for the first time a simple field test is now available.
“The AMA maintains that few factors contribute more to misunderstanding and prejudice against street riders than excessively noisy motorcycles,” Moreland continued. “With the new SAE J2825 standard, street motorcyclists can now determine how quiet, or loud, their bikes really are.”
Moreland added that the new standard follows a template established years ago with the SAE J1287 off- highway motorcycle sound test, a standard recommended by the AMA wherever off-highway motorcycles are operated.
The SAE J2825 on-highway motorcycle sound test procedure is similar to the one used for the SAE J1287 off-highway motorcycle test. The streetbike measurement requires holding a calibrated sound meter at a 45-degree angle 20 inches from the exhaust pipe of a running engine. The procedure spells out how to do the test with the bike at idle, at a predetermined engine speed (“Set RPM Test”), or by slowly increasing the engine speed of the bike, known as the “Swept
RPM Test.” The SAE J2825 standard, prepared by the SAE Motorcycle Technical Steering Committee, recommends a decibel limit of 92 dBA at idle for all machines or — using the Set RPM or Swept RPM Test — 100 dBA for three- or four-cylinder machines, and 96 dBA for bikes with fewer than three or more than four cylinders.
The creation of a new street motorcycle sound measurement procedure was a top recommendation of the 2003 National Summit on Motorcycle Sound, expressed by its Motorcycle Sound Working Group. The AMA organized the National Summit on Motorcycle Sound to pull together riders and user organizations, representatives of the motorcycle manufacturers, the aftermarket industry, racing promoters, government agencies, and others to develop proposals regarding the increasingly controversial issue of excessive motorcycle sound.
“The J2825 test allows jurisdictions around the nation, struggling with complaints about excessive motorcycle sound, to set reasonable limits in accordance with the SAE standard,” said Moreland. “While the AMA supports the establishment of the SAE J2825 standard in America’s cities, towns and communities, we will continue to fight efforts that single out motorcycles while still permitting excessive sound from other sources, such as loud cars and trucks, booming car stereos, poorly maintained generators, whining leaf blowers, and the like.”
NEW BIKERNET SPONSOR SAVES BANDIT RING–Frank from Nino 925, a motorcycle jewelry manufactured just signed up to be a Bikernet.com sponsor. Check out his jewelry line. Plus, he will design or manufacture rings for any club or organization.
For year Bandit wore one ring, based on his hand made belt buckles. It was actually his third wedding ring, then his fourth wife added a diamond in the center. But another jealous broad threw it in the ocean off the North Shore of Hawaii. Bandit has been questioning women and searching for that ring ever since. Fortunately, he still had a pendant and Frank is bringing his original ring back to life.
–Frank Zubieta
Nino925
P: 877.646.6925
Wear it, Live it, Love it!
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