Hey,
Check this from Ray in Australia. He’s gone from being an Olympic Champ to a major industrialist, to a philosopher. I met him in Sturgis in 1987 and we’ve been friends ever since.
"Difficult times in life are like washing machines; they twist us, spin us and knock us around, but in the end, we come out cleaner, brighter, and better than before."--Ray Russell
Let’s hit the news:
Click for all the info...
DIRECT FROM THE MOTORCYCLE RIDERS ASSOCIATION--
Coalitions Rejuvenated
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) 2023 legislative agenda includes a diverse set of issues that strike at the core of who we are as bikers.
Historically, the MRF has fought many battles to defend individuals and the aftermarket motorcycle businesses’ rights to customize and repair motorcycles. Our successful defense against the EPA’s “Color and Chrome” only initiative and the regulations/enforcement related to it helped define the MRF and what we stand for to this day.
The MRF has long supported the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), which would ensure that modifying motor vehicles into racing vehicles used for competition would not violate the Clean Air Act. We anticipate an updated version of the RPM Act will be introduced this Spring. The MRF and our partners will work diligently for passage of this commonsense piece of legislation. Importantly, some of these parts and technology we are looking to protect are used in the EPA allowances for one-per-lifetime custom bikes and Tier 1 eligible motorcycles we fought for two decades ago.
The MRF agenda also strongly supports the desire to protect a consumer’s right to repair, and ownership of data related to their vehicles. A recently introduced bill, H.R. 906 The Repair Act, helps protect consumers ability to utilize independent repair shops and aftermarket parts to work on vehicles, including motorcycles.
These issues are becoming increasingly important and drawing the attention of the aftermarket industry and bike customizers. The EPA has restarted a campaign of increased enforcement and it is threatening shops and individuals with legal action.
MRF President Kirk “Hardtail” Willard recently appeared on Cycle Source Magazines “Shop Talk” radio show to discuss these issues and this week traveled to Daytona Bike Week to join independent motorcycle shop owners and others in the aftermarket industry to discuss the many issues facing this industry. The meeting was hosted by Chris Cullen of Cycle Source Magazine and moderated by industry icon Bob Kay. Hardtail had this to say about the meeting, “It was encouraging to see both the level of concern and willingness in this group to engage in our efforts and educate other players in the aftermarket industry.”
The MRF won’t tackle these challenges alone, we are aggressively looking to put back together our coalition that was so effective in past battles. In the past the coalition included, the aftermarket industry, media and print publications, other custom vehicle organizations, and other motorcyclists’ rights groups. Lastly, our Master Mechanic and technical expert Dave “Dad” Dwyer is looking to schedule a meeting with the EPA in Detroit to discuss our growing concerns.
These are challenging issues, but with your continued support and the help of other like-minded advocates we will fight to defend the rights and freedoms we cherish.
--MRF
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NEW CAMSHAFTS FROM--Hall of Famer Dave Mackie
Dave Mackie set over 60 National Records and was five-time National Champion
You now have the opportunity to purchase Dave Mackie’s custom camshafts direct. DME camshafts are built with years of knowledge and experience to make Harley-Davidson engines pull hard!
In August of 2020, Dave Mackie was inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located in Sturgis, South Dakota. When asked what it means to be inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Fame, Dave said, “In the beginning the goal was to win one event, but then we were hooked. We were just out there having fun and pushing the limits. We loved to travel, race and work hard to get better.”
Dave Mackie Engineering
2065-H Sperry Avenue
Ventura, CA 93003
BIKERNET BOOK OF THE WEEK CLUB—
Since Michael Shellenberger used the term referring to famous "military industrial complex" and mentioned Eisenhower as well -- do have a look at the book reviews by people on the below book
The Invisible Soldiers: How America Outsourced Our Security
by Ann Hagedorn
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416598812/
published in 2015. Not bestseller grade. Just good reference for people who like these topics and who have capacity to comb through such facts and references.
Alternatively, it's more entertaining to wonder why all good writers drink (and maybe smoke as well ? ) ...below investigation published in 2013.
The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking
by Olivia Laing
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250039568/
WHY IS IT THAT SOME OF THE GREATEST WORKS OF LITERATURE HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY WRITERS IN THE GRIP OF ALCOHOLISM, AN ADDICTION THAT COST THEM PERSONAL HAPPINESS AND CAUSED HARM TO THOSE WHO LOVED THEM?
In The Trip to Echo Spring, Olivia Laing examines the link between creativity and alcohol through the work and lives of six extraordinary men: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Berryman, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver.
All six of these writers were alcoholics, and the subject of drinking surfaces in some of their finest work, from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to A Moveable Feast. Often, they did their drinking together: Hemingway and Fitzgerald ricocheting through the cafés of Paris in the 1920s; Carver and Cheever speeding to the liquor store in Iowa in the icy winter of 1973.
Olivia Laing grew up in an alcoholic family herself. One spring, wanting to make sense of this ferocious, entangling disease, she took a journey across America that plunged her into the heart of these overlapping lives. As she travels from Cheever's New York to Williams's New Orleans, and from Hemingway's Key West to Carver's Port Angeles, she pieces together a topographical map of alcoholism, from the horrors of addiction to the miraculous possibilities of recovery.
Beautiful, captivating, and original, The Trip to Echo Spring strips away the myth of the alcoholic writer to reveal the terrible price creativity can exert.
--Wayfarer
Book Review Specialist
Bikernet.com™
BIKER RING OF THE WEEK NEWS--The Cranium Ring by KIL N.Y.C. Debuts, with a Modern Take on the Biker Ring
Brooklyn-based KIL N.Y.C. launches a new skull ring as an homage to biker style.
New York, NY. March 16, 2023. A manifestation of luck, biker rings are traditionally worn to drive death away, for those who choose to live on the wild side. Some believe these rings bring luck on the road, while others believe they are a symbol for salvation. Wearing a skull is not only reminiscent of memento mori, but of immortality, and therefore life. Inspired by superstitious biker rings, Konstantinos Leoussis (founder of KIL N.Y.C.) introduces his take on the classic design with the Cranium Ring. A hand-carved skull sits in a wide tapered band accompanied by pyramid cut colored gemstones, set face up in a bezel setting.
The Cranium Ring is made-to-order, with customizable metal offerings for the wearer, and various gemstone options for the ring shoulders. It is available in either sterling silver or 10K yellow gold, with a choice of amethyst, onyx, garnet, Swiss blue topaz, London blue topaz, smokey topaz, peridot, or rhodolite garnet gemstones in the setting.
When asked what inspires this piece, Leoussis says, “Skulls are a big part of our brand – every iteration of the logo for KIL N.Y.C. has been a skull and some of our most popular pieces are ones that feature skulls. I really wanted to stay true to who we are, while incorporating color into the line. We are starting to experiment with really interesting colored gemstones, and a skull just felt like the right way to introduce that to our audience.”
To contact KIL N.Y.C, email Operations and Sales Assistant, Krystelle Diaz, at
krystelle@kil-nyc.com, or call/text 646-824-1502. For inquiries regarding this press release, email Pietra Communications at
info@pietrapr.com or call 212-913-9761.
MOTORCYCLISTS LEAD ATTACK ON TORT REFORM--–
In a rare display of muscle both political and physical, angry motorcyclists have crammed hearings at the Florida Capitol demanding changes to fast-moving legislation they fear will blunt their chances of suing when injured in an accident.
Many in the crowd wore 'Bikers over Billionaires' T-shirts, mocking Gov. Ron DeSantis’ own 'Don’t Tread on Florida' campaign shirts. They’ve been calling out the governor, who they accuse of caving in to insurance companies and other big donors by supporting the legislation.
The tort reform push (HB 837), a priority of DeSantis and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, is set to go before the full House Thursday. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved its version (SB 236) of the measure Tuesday night.
--John Kennedy
Capital Bureau
USA TODAY NETWORK
"Read the whole tamale on USA Today." --Bandit
MASS GOVERNOR SUPPORTS MOTORCYCLE SAFETY AWARENESS PERIOD--
Our 20th year - (by law we got passed June 4, 2002) - our (new) Governor's issuing the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Period here in MA . . . for last week of March thru April 30th -
M - Motorcyle
A - Awareness
R - Really
C - Can
H - Help, . . . save lives . . .
(then we'll roll with MAY ("Motorcycles and YOU) with the rest of the County . . . )
--Paul Cote
THIS JUST IN FROM THE BUCKLE GUY--
Brass Key Rings with Springs for Added Security
Our new C5205 and C5206 Key Rings with Springs are key rings that have a 2.9mm think ring and a screw-in hasp that is reinforced with a spring.
What makes these rings unique?
Low Lead Solid Brass. Key rings like this are often made from cheaper metals. We made ours in solid brass for extra durability and style.
Secure Connection. The hasps screw in tight, but also are spring loaded for extra security. This way, if the hasp becomes unscrewed, it still remains closed so the keys won’t come off.
Variety. They come in rectangle and oval designs and are available in Natural Brass, Antique Brass, Nickel Plate, Nickel Matte, & PVD Black Matte finishes.
These functional key rings are large and sturdy enough to hold many keys while still having a unique style. Add a loop of leather or other material for a quick customized key fob.
--The Buckleguy Team
THIS JUST IN FROM THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM--
1928 Moto Guzzi
This week, let’s take a look at the 1928 Moto Guzzi, one of a few very fine Italian motorcycles on display at the National Motorcycle Museum. With the last day the doors are open to the public being September 4, 2023, we hope you will plan a visit and view this beautiful machine along with hundreds of other motorcycles from about 1905 forward.
Red seems to be the motor-color of Italy, a favorite color of Moto Guzzi and Ducati, certainly Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. So, in striking red we bring you this nearly 90 year old design from Moto Guzzi, the famed Italian motorcycle company which was formed in 1921.
Exposed flywheels, distinctive horizontal cylinder overhead valve engines and innovative suspension systems set Moto Guzzi apart from other manufacturers. Even today, Moto Guzzi’s V-Twin engine layout, with crankshaft in-line, is distinctive among motorcycle manufacturers.
Giorgio Parodi and Carlo Guzzi, World War I veterans and mechanics, formed Moto Guzzi in 1921. Most single cylinder engines of the time used a side valve vertical cylinder, or were side-valve v-twins. Moto Guzzi’s designs were an unusual horizontal cylinder with exposed overhead valve layout often incorporating “hairspring” valve springs. Also unusual was their design which put a large flywheel on the outside of the engine, which after a time earned the motorcycles the “bologna slicer” or “bacon slicer” nickname. Moto Guzzi introduced its first rear suspension system in 1928, and early on used what we now call “upside down forks” on later models.
As with most auto and motorcycle innovators, Moto Guzzi almost immediately began designing, building and competing with racing motorcycles as a form of advertising. Winning and placing well in numerous races, over time they took eight Gran Prix championships and won 11 Isle of Man races, along the way developing a V8 grand prix engine! Also thinking of the broader needs of their countrymen, much like Cushman they innovated three wheel trucks which worked well in the tight quarters of old Italian cities and in factory compounds.
Click for Info.--
Have a look at this 75 year old man's daily routine.
What happens when the Terminator turns 75
Schwarzenegger gets up by six. He makes coffee, putters around, feeds Whiskey (his miniature horse) and Lulu (his miniature donkey), shovels their overnight manure into a barrel, drinks his coffee, checks his email, and maybe plays a quick game of chess online.
At 7:40, he puts a bike on the back of a Suburban and heads from his Brentwood, California, mansion to the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica. From there he sets out on the three-mile bike ride to Gold’s Gym, where he has been lifting on and off since the late ’60s.
The bike ride is his favorite part of the morning. It is also, I learned while following behind him on that foggy day in October, a terrifying expedition.
Schwarzenegger does not wear a helmet and seems to enjoy being recognized, startling commuters with drive-by cameos.
He describes his ride as a kind of vigorous nostalgia trip, a time when the former Mr. Universe, Terminator, Barbarian, Governor of California, etc.—one of the strangest and most potent alloys of American celebrity ever forged—can reconnect with something in the neighborhood of a pedestrian existence.
“It’s like a Norman Rockwell,” Schwarzenegger told me. “We talk to the bus driver. We do the garbage man, the construction worker. Everyone’s got their beautiful, beautiful jobs and professions.” These days, Schwarzenegger’s own beautiful profession is to essentially be an emeritus version of himself.
by Mark Leibovich
The Atlantic
--from Wayfarer
Editor, Bikernet Blog
CHOP OF THE WEEK—By Mike Dunkirk
--Sam Burns
Feature bike editor in Chief
Bikernet.com™
BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!--
Movie Mystery Bike Solved, the Mickey Rourke Black Death (
click here to read)
Really enjoyed reading your blog. It is highly informative and builds great interest for the readers. For the people like us your blogs helps to get ideal information and knowledge. Thanks for providing such blogs.
--Peter Shawn
petershawn1221@gmail.com
Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
KYLE WYMAN AND FACTORY HARLEY-DAVIDSON DOMINATE MOTOAMERICA KING OF THE BAGGERS RACE 2 AT DAYTONA SPEEDWAY--
Rispoli and Gillim Fill Out an All-H-D Podium; Rispoli Wins Race 1, Leads Championship
Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman scored a dominating win and topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium in the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers race on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Wyman led the entire eight-lap race on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited motorcycle, crossing the finish line 8.03 seconds ahead of Vance & Hines/Mission Harley-Davidson teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim. Team Saddlemen teammates Cory West and Jake Lewis finished fourth and fifth to complete a top five sweep of the race for Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles.
“I’m so excited that we got our Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle working so well today,” said Wyman. “This is my first win at Daytona since 2019, and this is such a special place, so a victory here is always special. We had a tough day yesterday, but the entire team just dug in and we had smooth sailing today. You can think of so many scenarios that could happen going into this weekend, but you could not predict either one of these days. It’s a nice way to end the weekend at Daytona. I’m ready to take this momentum to Atlanta.”
After two of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Vance & Hines racer Rispoli leads the championship with 45 points, followed his teammate Gillim with 36 points. Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson rider Cory West sits third with 26 points, and Harley-Davidson factory rider Kyle Wyman is in fourth place with 25 points. Team Saddlemen’s Jake Lewis is tied for fifth with Factory Indian racer Tyler O’Hara with 21 points.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Daytona Race 1
1. James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
2. Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
3. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
4. Cory West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
5. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
6. Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
7. Hawk Mazzotta (Ind) Lloyds Garage
8. Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
9. Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
10. Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Daytona Race 2
1. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
2. James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
3. Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines Racing
4. Cory West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
5. Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
6. Hawk Mazzotta (Ind) Lloyds Garage
7. Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
8. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
9. Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
10. Danny Eslick (H-D) Nowaskey Extreme Performance
KICK STAND OF THE WEEK-- Efab “Gen 6? Leaf-Spring Kickstand
Efab “Gen 6? Leaf-spring Kickstand
This is the first batch of gen 6s. These are the best yet. I have listened to feedback from guys running the gen 5s and taken measures accordingly. These are weld on. Many people have asked how to weld them to a regular steel frame, and its easy, just use 309 filler rod. It welds the same as regular steel.
No special skills required.
$500.00
Generation 6 kickstands in Stock now..
For orders outside of the US please inquire for shipping costs.
