Hey,
The Summer is upon us, yet the clouds rolled in and it drizzled over the weekend. Life is nuts. Nothing makes any sense. I read in the Week Magazine that if it wasn’t for panic, we wouldn’t do a damn thing about the Swine Flu. Over 500 million people will come down with Malaria this year and over a million will die. Yet there is no threat in the rich side of the world, so nothing is done about it. On the other hand, with the attention to the Swine Flu, the Center for Disease Control discovered and developed a test in two weeks and has already shipped the kits to all 50 states.
Never a dull moment. Let’s hit it, there a party waiting across town at Micah McCloskey’s Custom Motorcycles.
UNDERCOVER BIKERNET INVESTIGATOR IN CONNECTICUT– Thought you might like to know…Heard that the CT State Police had a noise checkpoint during Memorial Day weekend. Tickets were $380 and all violator’s bikes were towed. Any modification of a stock exhaust is a violation-any!
Maybe we need to initiate legal action against the State of CT for participating in the sale of the illegal equipment by collecting sales tax on it. On a weekend that celebrates those who fought for freedom, we are losing it as fast as our money!
Thanks for keep us on the Ball with all these legislators who think they know what is best for us. I wonder how many jobs and how much money will be lost when this segment of our sport goes away?
Ride Hard and Die Free!
–Mike
SLAMON
WEEKEND MIKUNI TECH ADVICE– It’s like magic. Remember, 90% of carburetor problems are electrical!
Have fun, see ya.
–Lee Chapin
Mikuni American Corporation
email: lchapin@mikuni.com
I checked out the Sturgis Shovel after the Cottonwood, Arizona run. According to Phil at Phil’s Speed Shop, it was running on the lean side, so I adjusted the main jet needle in the 42 mm Mikuni carb. Then the bike wouldn’t start, and I reached out to Lee Chapin, the America Mikuni boss. He explained the above to me. As it turned out, since the Shovel sports single-fire ignition, ya gotta have the spark plugs on correctly or the bastard won’t run–oops. –Bandit
AND WE THOUGHT DEER WERE A PAIN IN THE ASS– Motorcycle riding offers a unique sense of freedom and excitement, but these advantages are weighed against significant safety issues. For instance, the danger of being mistaken for a tasty deer by a hungry tiger
A Russian biker almost became involved in a battle for the ages when a big cat attempted to leap on him as he rode by. Fortunately for the rider — and unfortunately for the tiger — a car struck the flying creature in mid-pounce.
The tiger — who apparently had been ill and had not eaten in a month, hence the unusual hunting method — suffered minor leg injuries and is being treated at a vet’s clinic. While we’re glad all concerned are safe, we suggest Russian Biker vs. Tiger as a future episode of Discovery Channel’s “Animal Face-Off
California Bill to Require ANNUAL Emissions Tests for Vehicles (CARS) 15-Years Old and Older Dies in Committee– Legislation (A.B. 859) in the California Assembly to require annual Smog check inspections for vehicles 15-years old and older was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and is essentially dead for the year. The bill would also have required that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which could have been used to scrap older cars. Pre-1976 motor vehicles would have remained exempt under A.B. 859.
Thanks and congratulations to all of you who participated in this effort to defeat A.B. 859!
–SEMA Alert
Rock Icons Join for a Classic Rock All Star show at the Chip– Three of rock music?s greatest lead singers and band leaders will present an evening of classic rock hits on Friday, July 31 at the Legendary Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Peter Rivera has one of the most recognizable voices in rock history. He was the lead singer, founding member and drummer for Rare Earth, where his unforgettable vocals helped send ?I?m Losing You,? ?Born To Wander,? ?I Just Want To Celebrate,? ?Hey Big Brother,? and ?Tobacco Road? to the top of the charts.
Mike Pinera was the lead guitar player, lead singer and founding member of Blues Image, most famous for the hit ?Ride Captain Ride.? Pinera also did lead guitar and lead vocal duties for Iron Butterfly and did a stint on lead guitar with Alice Cooper.
and founding member of the Denver based Sugarloaf. His ?Green-Eyed Lady? and ?Don?t Call Us, We?ll Call You? hits topped the charts in the 1970s. Corbetta also did a stint as a singer with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and co-produced his critically acclaimed album ?Heaven About Me.?
Rod Woodruff, campground owner said the three make up one of the most entertaining acts in music today. ?These guys have a string of hits as long as the ride to Sturgis. The stage show is one hit after another by performers who have electrified crowds for decades.?
AUSTRALIA BIKE CLUBS UNDER ATTACK BY THE GOVERNMENT– Here?s the latest on the govt. attempts to wipe out OMGs. One by one, they are pushing through control orders which prohibits association of one ?declared? member with any other declared members. Once the control orders have been issued to all members, the club is effectively shut down. Don?t quote me on this, but the first offence under this is a hefty fine I understand and either the second or the third is an automatic five year jail term which is unable to be defended against as all police evidence regarding the alleged association is ?secret? so no defense is possible. Nazi shit.
–Doc
Associate & Technical Editor
HEAVY DUTY Magazine
www.heavyduty.com.au
Obliged to grant control order
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Another Finks motorcycle club member was yesterday served with a control order under South Australia’s Serious and Organised Crime Control Act (2008) laws, as his lawyer revealed he had launched a Supreme Court bid to have the laws declared invalid.
Michael Fraser MacPherson became the second Finks member to have a control order issued against him, restricting those with whom he can associate.
It was the second such order lodged by the Commissioner of Police in three days, following an application for an order against Donald Brian Hudson lodged in a closed court on Monday. Mr MacPherson’s lawyer, Craig Caldicott, asked magistrate Kym Millard to adjourn the application against his client for three weeks because he had started proceedings in the Supreme Court seeking to have the Serious and Organised Crime Control Act, under which control orders can be made, declared invalid.
Mr Caldicott said he had received advice from a senior lawyer to “ventilate” the matter in the Supreme Court and, depending on the outcome, he might appeal to the High Court. Mr Millard refused to grant the adjournment and issued the control order, saying that on the basis of the evidence before the court, he was satisfied Mr MacPherson was a member of a declared organisation: ?I’m obliged to make the order based on the material before the court?.
Leaked cop documents on ‘outlaw bikie life’
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Leaked SA police documents ? filed with the Adelaide Magistrates Court to gain a control order against Donald Brian Hudson ? purportedly give insight into the lifestyle of the club. Hudson, 40, is the first person subject to the Serious and Organised Crime Control Act (2008), and has lodged Supreme Court action to overturn his status.
The thick bundle of documents that led to the ban contains intelligence reports and a copy of what police claim is the club’s charter. That document features an image of “Bung”, the jester character from The Wizard of Id cartoon. In a statement, Criminal Gang Task Force Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Williamson says the character is central to the Finks’ identity.
“(The cartoon’s) catch-cry is `the king is a fink’,” he says. The alleged charter says the club’s committee is the secretary, the treasurer and the sergeant-at-arms, but “no name such as president is to be used”.
In his statement, State Intelligence Branch Superintendent Douglas Barr says the sergeant-at-arms is essential. “The duty of the sergeant-at-arms is to maintain law and order within the club . . . by any means available,” he says. The alleged charter says Finks must:
BE NOMINATED and seconded by an existing member.
ATTEND four successive meetings following their nomination.
ATTEND all runs and functions during the nomination period.
HAVE a road-going motorcycle, “650cc or over ? not a two-stroke”.
APPROVED for full membership by a 75 per cent majority.
ATTEND “one major annual run” as a nominee.
Police claim nominees also have more sinister duties, pointing to the 1996 District Court sentencing remarks of Finks “nom” Francesco Condo. He claimed he had to be ready “if need be” to “even bash up someone”. In his statement, Det Sr Sgt Williamson says this is typical behaviour. “The culture of the Finks demands and expects obedience and subservience from a nom,” he says.
Three Days, Three Rides, One Reunion!–ACE CAF?– This year Ace Cafe London’s 16th annual Reunion weekend, Friday 11th to Sunday 13th September, celebrates some very special land marks, notably to include the 50th anniversary of the legendary and world famous 59 Club.
Starting on Friday 11th, with the cafe’s regular ‘Bike Night’ and, from 6pm, the arrival of The Continental Run, there will be DJ Tracy Dick spinning the wax until late, with hard, fast rockers, The Twang Bangers, from Germany playing live.
On Saturday 12th, join us for “Breakfast At The Ace” from 7am and, leaving at 10.30am, for our second annual Cafe Racer & Rockers Ride Out, to attend the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, Central London for a very special celebration, service of thanksgiving and blessing of the bikes, on occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding, by the late Father Bill Shergold, of the now iconic church charity the 59 Club. Organised and arranged by the club’s Chairman, Father Scott Anderson, together with the club’s leaders and volunteer helpers, the service will commence at Noon.
The ride will return to the Ace for 2.30pm for the 2nd annual Cafe Racer Review, with awards and prizes for ‘Best Bike’ and runners-up, to be presented by special guests to include Mike Cook, Dave Degens, Norman White, Oliver Tobias, Derek Harris, Colin Campbell and members of the 59 Club management team.
Also being celebrated is the 50th anniversary of both the Triumph Bonneville and Metisse, with prizes for the best examples of the respective marques, courtesy Gerry Lisi of Metisse, Triumph and Dave Lilley of the West London Triumph dealership Jack Lilley Ltd, who are also celebrating their 50 years in the business.
Participating with prizes and items, from their respective and varied product ranges, are Alpha Industries who were founded 50 years ago in Tennessee, USA, Aero Leathers, Lewis Leathers, SchottNYC, Ronson and Prison Blues.
With music from Noon on the outside stage, there will be three live rock n’ roll bands and two rockin’ DJs to entertain, moving to the inside stage from 9pm ’til late where the live music and a burlesque show will continue into the night.
On Sunday 13th, the cafe opens at 7am for the start of the Ride With The Rockers & Brighton Burn Up, which departs at 10.30am. Brighton’s seafront road, Madeira Drive, will be open to the public from 9.30am, with exhibitors, club and trade stands, and our annual Stunt Show and Streetfighter Fest featuring the ever popular ‘Sparky’ at the eastern end of Madeira Drive at Black Rock, with bands and DJ from Noon on the Ace stage.
The London Rockin’ Rollers will be joining us once again, collecting and raising funds for the 59 Club, a registered church charity, at the cafe on Saturday 12th, and on Brighton’s seafront on Sunday 13th where they will be collecting for the RAFA “Wings Appeal” as part of “Battle of Britain” week.
For the first time at Brighton as as part of the Reunion, the Scooter and rider who best represents 1964 will receive an award courtesy of Dr Marten’s (to include a rare opportunity to visit the original factory in Wollaston, Northamptonshire to assemble their very own pair of Dr Marten’s) and Alpha Industries, manufacturers of the iconic MA-1 and CWU-15 jackets.
–LINDA WILSMORE
Ace Cafe London
Tel: ++44 (0)20 8961 1000
Fax: ++44 (0)20 8965 0161
Website: www.ace-cafe-london.com
Ace Cafe London
Ace Corner
North Circular Road
Stonebridge
London
NW10 7UD
BONNEVILLE SALT FLATS REMINDER– one last reminder for those of you that still need to sign up for the BUB Speed Trials: the Pre-enry deadline is only days away. All entries must be received by 11.59pm Monday June 1st 2009. All entries received after this time will be subject to the late entry fee.
REMEMBER:
If you have not participated before, or in the last 3 years, please call us at 530-272-4310 to reserve your motorcycle number BEFORE you submit your entry.
You do need separate numbers for each motorcycle, class or rider. The number is the only unique item that tells us what rider & class the motorcycle is running.
All entries online are time dated at the time you submit them. We manually confirm via email. We can not promise that we will be able to email confiramtions of receipt as soon as we get them. Be patient. There are a lot of forms coming through (no you are not the only one that has left it until the last minute : )
If you do not hear from us by the start of Wednesday Morning (3rd)- then contact us to check on your entry.
FIM licensing paperwork is due by the 12th, but please send it as soon as possible. If you have signed up for FIM but not yet received your licensing packet CALL NOW to get/check on it.
If you have any questions please call us and we will get back to you if we miss the call!
BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials Information
www.bubspeedtrials.com
PH: 530 272 4310
FAX: 530 477 7489
Email: salt-info@bubspeedtrials.com
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS- BUB Enterprises, Pingel Enterprises, Potter Lumber, HDT USA, NRHS V-Twin Performance, Buell Bros & Sisters Racing, Bakker Motorsports, Spectro Oils, Sherm’s Cycle Products, Swissperformance
Flaming Ice Watch FROM HARDCORE WATCHES– This cool as ice timepiece includes over a third of a carat of brilliant diamonds set in a brushed steel casing that has flames carved out in steel. This watch also features three dimensional casted dial finish in tones of blue, Swarovski Crystals individually set floating in the flames on the dial and anodized luminous hour and minute hands. As with all of our watches, each piece comes signed and serialized for authenticity and includes a 15 year limited warranty. Available in both men and women’s versions.
SUNDAY QUOTE–The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. –Ronald Reagan
DIGITAL DIPSTICK WITH LEVEL AND TEMP FROM HARLEY-DAVIDSON– Improved Sensors for Ultimate Accuracy; Now in Black or Chrome Finish.
MILWAUKEE (May 29, 2009) ? The Oil Level and Temperature Dipstick with Lighted LCD Readout (P/N 63004-09 chrome, P/N 63030-09 black; $139.95) from Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories displays the oil level and oil temperature of 2007-later Touring models with the push of a button. Now featuring improved ?capacitive? level sensing technology, this dipstick provides the highest degree of accuracy and durability.
This digital dipstick makes it possible to check oil level without touching a hot dipstick, without hunting for a rag, and without dripping oil on exhaust pipes or the garage floor. When activated by pushing a button, the brilliant backlight display indicates oil level with a four-segment graph, digital temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius, and also offers a reminder to check the oil when it is hot. The waterproof display is powered by a long-lasting, replaceable Lithium coin-type battery and has a low-battery indicator. This digital dipstick is also available in black or chrome to fit 2002-06 Touring models, many 2000-later Softail models, and 2006-later Dyna models. See an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer for details.
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 Can
BIKERNET ENGLISH PROFESSOR MAKES A GOOD POINT–Words become meaningless as we use them wrongly/inappropriately/loosely/casually ? they resonate, but without us thinking about them, we take them for granted as is the case with the word ?trillion?.
These days it gets thrown around so much in the news regarding national debts, stimulus packages and so on, that most people don?t give it a thought. It becomes just another word like million or billion and sort of accepted as an increase in some order of magnitude, a step-up in size of some kind but in fact doesn?t draw much attention to itself. It should. And people should wake up to just what it means as it slides through the vocal cords and drips from the lips of politicians of all persuasions.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has a stunning explanation of how to understand the word ?trillion? ? here it is:
?It is hardly surprising that politicians and pundits on American discussion programs often jumble up the millions, billions and trillions – we are still in the process of adjusting to a frightening order of magnitude. If you are not sure of the difference by the way, think of it like this. A million seconds is 11 days. Since we have only just started on the trillion scale a bit of a breathing space should now follow.?
A billion seconds is around 32 years.
And a trillion therefore is 32,000 years.
It seems to me this matters because the language of political arithmetic is now completely removed from the language of everyday life – and that has happened with frightening speed. ?
Scary stuff when you think about it.
–Doc
The MRF is pleased to report that the United States House of Representatives has passed House Resolution 269. The bill “supports the goals of May is Motorcycle Safety Month.” Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX) who both also chair the U.S. House of Representatives Motorcycle Safety Caucus, introduced the bill.
Congresswoman Giffords had this to say in the House chamber the day of thevote, “H. Res. 269 also serves as a reminder to all riders and motorists to always share the road respectfully. I have been riding and racing motorcycles for over 20 years ? so the issue of motorcycle safety is of great importance to me. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Motorcycle Industry Council, the American Motorcyclist Association, and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation for all that they do to support motorcyclists.”
The MRF would like to thank Mrs. Giffords and Dr. Burgess for the commitment to motorcycle safety.
NHTSA Meeting:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gathers together, on a quarterly basis, government safety officials and the stakeholders in the motorcycle safety community to update the group on private and public motorcycle safety initiatives that are ongoing or recently completed. The MRF, AMA, MIC, MSF, ASMI, and Harley-Davidson, to name a few on the private side, attended the meeting on May 6. Also in attendance were staff members from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The newly appointed NHTSA boss, Chuck Hurley, did not attend.
Nothing especially earth shattering was discussed at the NHTSA meeting, with perhaps one exception – the much anticipated preliminary results of the Crash Causation Study pilot study. Just a few tidbits of early data were revealed, such as after launching the study with 53 crashes, they were left with complete data for just 23 of those crashes due to refusals to participate or no injury sustained, etc.
The methodology is a 1700-point data collection process with a double-control function. That means after collecting the 1700 different data points on a qualifying crash, the investigators go out to the scene of the crash one week later at the same time of day and ask motorcyclists riding by to voluntarily pull over and answer some questions about why they think they didn’t crash. To simply collect the data from this process costs $7,507. That is less than the $10,000 estimate that has been rumored, but that number doesn’t include the data crunching, reporting, and many other administrative costs.
The full study is still laboring away with funding problems, but the feds have promised that a study will be done. It may not be as large as everyone had hoped, but they have vowed to do something.
FHWA MAC Meeting
The MRF also attended the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Motorcycle Advisory Council’s (MAC) semi-annual meeting on May 7. This was the first meeting for the group’s Designated Federal Official (DFO), Mike Griffith. Griffith is a career government transportation official, spending much time in the statistics and engineering fields, and he held up well for his first meeting with the MAC.
The MAC is comprised of rider groups, private sector engineers and government officials, and meets to analyze every aspect of the nation’s transportation infrastructure and critique areas that impact motorcycles. The recommendations of the MAC are then delivered to the Secretary of Transportation for consideration.
The MAC spent a lot of time hearing about the upcoming national traveler opinion and perception survey. The MAC was tasked with developing questions concerning motorcycles and motorcyclists to be included in the random survey of 5000 Americans.
Also it was revealed that the Intelligent Transportation Office at the Department of Transportation has adopted an “all weight vehicles” approach to include motorcycles and the heaviest highway users.
Another noteworthy item was the announcement from the Transportation Research Board regarding a study titled “Factors Related to Serious Injury and Fatal Motorcycle Crashes with Traffic Barriers,” due to be completed in late 2011.
You can read more about the charter, minutes, mission statement and members of the FHWA MAC on their website at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/mac/.
–from the MRF
BIKERNET STATUS REPORT FROM SOCAL SPEED SHOP– Just checking in to tell you I have had increased traffic on my website and I think a lot of it has come from the feature on your site. Is it Cool if I add bikernet to my links page? Another Deluxe I did for Derek Anderson out of Texas is featured in the June/July Ultimate Motorcycling, Have a look when you get a chance
My web guy keeps telling me he is going to put together a banner I can send you to add below the SO-CAL one with Glens bike feature. Hope things are good and thanks again for all your help.
–Ryan
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