Photos with the Bob T. artist touch.
This is another early-in-the-year show weekend with Easyriders shows, Ultimate Builder Shows, Major Hawaiian Show coming, and the Grand National Roadster Show right here. The Colorado Motorcycle Expo is this weekend. The Donnie Smith Show was last weekend, and more shows are coming.
This year the Columbus
Easyriders show falls on the same weekend as the Cincy V-Twin dealer show, but the dealer show on the 7-9 of February is the weekend after the Superbowl. That was a damn good move.
That's actually February 8th and 9th, goddammit.
Just about the time I feel Freedom is lost in this country I heard Washington is going to allow lane splitting. There is hope.
It’s a big year for us, and the 5-Ball Racing team. We are making headway with the frame in Houston. And Andrew and Bob Kay are making the 5-Ball Racing line of apparel rock. Let’s hit the news.
The Thursday News is sponsored in part by
Cycle Source and
Easyriders Events
HOLY FLAMES-- I just got Best Paint at Wide Open Bike Show in Kansas City Sunday (130 bikes).
Didn’t see that coming. Would love to see my build on Bikernet Trikes.
--John Talbot
AUSTRALIAN ATTACK ON BIKERS--Three months into the campaign by the Queensland government against outlaw motorcycle gangs, some meaningful analysis of the effectiveness and justification for the unprecedented measures is possible.
On the statistics and anecdotes that have emerged, it appears likely there will be no smoking gun to indicate success at the end of this campaign. There will be no major evidence that bikie gangs are the epicentre of organized crime in Australia. Yes, they play a part, but not an overwhelming one.
Arrest figures
Last December, figures were released to show the effectiveness of the policing response, codenamed Operation Resolute. Impressive numbers of arrests and charges were given to the media:
Officers as part of Operation Resolute, created in response to offending behaviour of Criminal Motorcycle Gangs (CMGs), have arrested 384 people on 817 charges since October 6.
But of the 817 charges, only 28 – or 3.4% – can be considered “organised crime” type charges such as drug trafficking and extortion.
Even more interesting is the proportion of overall crime statistics these figures account for in that two-month period. In Queensland, 73,309 offences were reported in October and November 2013. Bikies accounted for only 1% of these offences.
Given the over-policing of bikies, one could also reasonably expect that these figures would be inflated to some degree. The figures rest on all the offenders being conveniently termed “participants of a criminal organization”. The police will not supply figures for the actual arrests of members – nor the grey and fuzzy “associate arrests” – instead grouping them into a homogeneous category.
If we were to consider just members, I suspect the arrest and charge figures would be drastically reduced.
Illicit drugs
The offences laid against bikies account for just 0.8% of total drug supply offences in Queensland. For trafficking in dangerous drugs they account for 5% of offences. For production of dangerous drugs they accounted for only 1.3% of total offences.
Production by Queensland drug laboratories has been exploding for the last five years, yet we never heard that the bikies were the criminal masterminds behind it. Australian Crime Commission (ACC) data indicates that from 2010-11 to 2011-12, Queensland drug laboratory production increased 29%, and Queensland labs accounted for 81% of the national increase in this same period.
Police have indicated that some 193 amphetamine labs had been located in the last six months in Queensland. Unfortunately, the media were not told how many of these busts resulted in the arrest of any bikies.
Charge stats
Included in the December update on Operation Resolute was a short note that six offenders had been charged under the anti-bikie laws. These laws provide for mandatory 25-year prison sentences for bikie gang members for a wide range of charges.
Of the 384 arrested, only 1.5% of offenders were charged under the anti-bikie laws. This is despite the authorities saying that all 384 people arrested were participants in criminal gangs.
The explanation is simple. First, the vast majority of offences involved were of such a minor nature that they are not covered by the anti-bikie laws. Second, the people arrested were acting as individuals: they did not commit their offences as part of some criminal conspiracy for the benefit of the organization.
It is easy to claim someone is a participant in arrest figures and media releases. It is not so easy to do this when subject to the scrutiny of the criminal courts, where actual evidence is required to be proven to requisite standards. In a number of instances, claims of bikie gang membership evaporated when the courts required proof.
Involvement in organized crime.
Claims have also been made that bikies are responsible for over two-thirds of organized crime profits in Australia (around A$10 billion). We have not seen any credible evidence or methodology to support this.
Of concern is that such claims are being attributed to organisations such as the Australian Crime Commission. A search of the ACC website, however, finds no such data. In fact, its bikie profile series specifically states:
…it is difficult to gauge the percentage of organised crime attributed specifically to OMCG members. While they are prevalent in all states and territories, they are just one part of the organised crime picture in Australia.
In the first two months of Operation Resolute police have recovered only around $200,000 worth of drugs. Divide that figure by all of the “participants” arrested and they would have earned an average of $260 per month – hardly what high rollers are made of.
Impact on freedom of association
The legislation included the introduction of consorting or association laws, which prevented two or more bikie gang members from gathering in public.
The two most prominent cases where this law has been enforced are the arrests of five men having a quiet beer in a suburban pub and another five offenders buying icecreams during a family holiday on the Gold Coast.
This is hardly the backroom, nefarious criminal consorting that the laws were put in place to prevent. It simply is not in the spirit of the legislation, and has been a public relations disaster for the government.
The strategic direction of the campaign has begun to go badly off the rails. With tradesmen now in the sights of law enforcement over links with bikie gangs, the government has moved the war from fringe occupations – such as tattoo parlours – to mainstream society. This move has raised the ire of trade unions, and they do have the money to fund a legal challenge.
The government has taken the “war on bikies” too far and alerted a complacent wider community to the impact on basic civil liberties. The “us and them” (the bikies) dichotomy has changed to a more encompassing view of who can be affected by the laws.
The other obvious issue is that if you remove all lawful occupations for bikies there is little alternative but for them to undertake a life of crime. Rehabilitation does not feature in the current war. The public perception of the war has not been helped by police telling people who they can and cannot be friends with:
It cannot be socially acceptable to be a friend of a bikie, you have to learn that it is not on.
The purpose of the legislation is to target criminal activity, not police social interactions.
Resourcing problems
All of these arrests have involved substantial planning and policing resources. The public therefore have the right to ask if the police would be better employed actually targeting criminal enterprise rather than people enjoying beers and icecream.
Police have finite resources, and as discussed earlier, there are plenty of criminals to be caught other than the bikies. Only three months into the fight, police have diverted dedicated anti-bikie resources to deal with other public order issues.
On top of this, the G20 meeting in Brisbane is looming. That will certainly curtail the current resource diversion to the purported bikie menace.
Bikies undoubtedly commit crime. Unfortunately, in this current climate, if you attempt to explain why the current approach is wrong you are simply labelled a bikie supporter. For most commentators nothing is further from the truth.
The crime committed by bikie gangs would be better combated by using crime management techniques that target actual crime rather than the current set of association laws, which merely target the person and to a large extent miss the criminal activity. The results are not positive. A change in investigative and policing strategy is needed.
--from the Conversation
EASYRIDERS HOT SHOT BIKE SHOW IN CHARLOTTE THIS WEEKEND--The Easyriders 2014 Bike Show Tour is rolling into Charlotte, NC on January 25, 2014 at the Charlotte Convention Center. Witness hundreds of the planets hottest bikes on display as competitors compete for 59 total awards, cash, and the chance to have their bike featured in one of our magazines.
Meet Mark Boone "Bobby" from the #1 hit TV show
Sons Of Anarchy signing autographs and taking pictures with guests. Other special celebrity guests include Michael & Angie from TV’s “
Full Throttle Saloon”.
Meet the world’s top bike builders including Bagger Nation’s own
Paul Yaffee.
Dave Mann “Originals” will be on display as well as prints available for purchase.
Other show features include the Purrfect Angelz from “
America’s Got Talent” performing live,
Easyriders Roadware Fashion Shows, live music, and more. For complete event details, interested vendors please go to:
http://www.easyridersevents.com/bikeshow2014/promo/charlotte.html
CUSTOM 2014 INDIAN CHIEF VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE AUCTION RAISES $30,000 FOR THE BENEFIT OF MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES--In partnership with Jack Daniel’s, proceeds from sale of customized the ‘No. 7’ serial number of first model year of the newest generation Indian Chief will help send military personnel home for the 2014 holiday season
MEDINA, Minn. — January 20, 2014 — Indian Motorcycle®, America’s first motorcycle company, today announced that its one-of-a-kind custom 2014 Chief Vintage motorcycle, created in support of the “Operation Ride Home” program for the benefit of U.S. Armed Forces personnel and their families, sold on the auction block on Sunday, January 19. This unique motorcycle, featuring the lowest publically available 2014 VIN number, was sold at auction for $30,000 by Barrett-Jackson, the world’s greatest collector car auctions, in Scottsdale, AZ and the full auction price has been donated through Jack Daniel’s Whisky and Indian Motorcycle to the Armed Services YMCA program Operation Ride Home. The winning bidder was George Munsterman and wife Mary Brinckerhoff of New York. MSRP for a stock 2014 Indian Chief Vintage is $20,999, indicating the generosity of the winning bidder, who jumped an additional $4000 as bidding slowed to secure the motorcycle for his collection.
For 2014, the first model year for the new Indian Chief under Polaris Industries’ brand stewardship, the first 1901 units off the assembly line were specially badged with commemorative serial numbers in honor of the company’s founding in 1901. In partnership with Jack Daniel’s Distillery, the ‘No. 7’ serial number off the line, a Red Indian Chief Vintage model, was customized by
Klocks Werks of Mitchell South Dakota with just the right touches to create a truly unique motorcycle. Hand-laid pin striping, painted Jack Daniel’s logos and Operation Ride Home logo and a customized seat combine to create a unique and collectible custom motorcycle.
“Operation Ride Home” is a partnership program between Jack Daniel Distillery and the Armed Services YMCA designed to help service members and military families travel to their homes across the country this holiday season. All proceeds from the auction of the custom Indian Chief Vintage bike have been donated by Indian Motorcycle to the Operation Ride Home program. The program assisted 836 individuals for the 2013 holiday season.
“
For nearly 113 years the U.S. military has been an integral part of the legendary Indian Motorcycle brand, and many of this company’s proudest achievements revolved around our support of this country’s war efforts,” said Steve Menneto, vice president of motorcycles for Polaris. “
It was a pleasure to partner with Jack Daniel’s and the Armed Forces YMCA in support of Operation Ride Home, and all of us at Polaris Industries and Indian Motorcycle are honored to donate the proceeds from the auction of this unique and symbolic motorcycle for the benefit of America’s military personnel and their families.”
THE ARMED SERVICES YMCA
The non-profit Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides no and low-cost programs to make military life easier for nearly 500,000 active-duty enlisted military and their families each year at 31 branches and affiliates nationwide. Innovative direct services are tailored to the needs of local military installations nationwide with the help of 13,000 volunteers in addition to community and military support.
The ASYMCA was rated in the top 2% of charities nationwide by Charity Navigator in 2012. Of the 1.2M Active Duty military stationed in the US, approximately 82% are located where the ASYMCA has a Branch or Affiliate nearby to help make military life easier. The ASYMCA does not receive government funding, and does not charge dues or membership fees for their programs. Your tax deductible donation (Tax ID #36-3274346) to the ASYMCA, a top-rated non-profit, will make a significant difference impact on the lives of enlisted service members and their families. Please visit
asymca.org to learn more.
BIKERNET BUDDHIST TEMPLE MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY--Many small doors open into large rooms.—Ming
BIKERNET BAD JOKE LIBRARY IS ALL ABOUT A POSITIVE ATTITUDE--Thursday night I gradually woke up stiff as a plank in hospital's ICU, tubes up my nose and down my throat, wires monitoring every function and all around my head, hell of a pain over my left ear, and a gorgeous nurse hovering over me.
It was obvious I'd been in a serious accident.
She looked at me deep and steady and I heard her slowly say, 'You may not feel anything from the waist down.'
I managed to mumble in reply, 'Can I feel your tits, then?'
--from Jim Waggaman
Irwindale Dragstrip Sets 2014 NHRA Summit Series Dates-- It's that time again for some great side-by-side Sunday, Sunday!!, Sunday!!! NHRA Drag racing again ... And Ir-win-dale Dragggggg-Strip is where fans of fast times in straight lines will be finding it beginning Sunday, March 9!
The 2014 NHRA Summit Series is all set to stage its 2014 season with four fast divisions that range from trailered-in, purpose-built machines to everyday drivers, and include a very quick motorcycle class.
The first event of the 2014 season is set for March 9 and the "tuning" has already begun at Irwindale's regular Thursday night test and tune sessions.
Series classes are divided by their potential performance and that's determined by the racer's "ET" (elapsed time) ... Effectively the time that it takes the race car to make an eighth-mile (660-foot) run down the drag strip.
Summit Series racing at Irwindale is always close, and the times often need to go to the third digit (thousandths of second rather than hundredths) to determine a winner between two very quick machines.
Summit Series Class ET's
Super Pro 5.50 - 7.49
Pro 5.75 -8.59
Sportsman 7.50 - 12.60
Pro Bike 5.50 - slower
Summit Sunday Drag Racing is one of those "OK ... Don't blink" sort of shows where side-by-side races stage, light off, and blast through the lights about as fast as it takes to say it!
Fans are always welcome at all Sunday Summit events. It's a fast day at Irwindale with spectator gates and tech inspection lanes open at 8am, the official driver's meeting at 10am, qualifications starting at 10:30am and final elimination runs going of f at about 1pm.
Adults are
$10.00, kids under 12 are only
$5.00 and parking (right in the Pits with the racers, by the way!) free.
Here's the Irwindale Dragstrip NHRA Summit Series Dates for 2014:
Race #1 Sunday March 9
Race #2 Sunday April 13
Race #3 Sunday May 18
Race #4 Sunday June 8
Race #5 Sunday July 13
Race #6 Sunday August 10
As usual all dates are subject to change
We'll see
YOU at the Dragstrip ...
BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!--Road Testing River Road Chaps from Biker’s Choice
http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=11516
Going the extra 10 miles for sure, if they can hold up thru all that and still look so badass they are worth a look see.
--Lloyd
roadrunningfatboy@yahoo.com
LA
Advertisement
THIS JUST IN FROM QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA—Queensland Authorities are banning babies in the region. It’s a proven fact that some of them will become bikies.
--K. GAROO
GUN NUT REPORT FOR THURSDAY—
--from John Talbot
5-BALL RACING PANHEAD READY TO TACKLE THE GREAT VINTAGE RACE IN AUSTRALIA--Took the Pan for a 100 mile shakedown run the other day to make sure it was ready for the annual Great Race held here on 25th-26th January in the Snowy Mountains, Harley-Davidson v/s Indian.
There are 138 bikes entered this year.
The web site is:
http://www.great-race.com.au
Cheers
--Doc
QUOTES OF THE DAY FROM SIN WU--Even if you're on the right track, you can still get run over if you just sit there.
Opportunity is missed by most because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work.
--from Sin Wu
Hell, you might win something!