Hey,

The rally came and went in the blink of an eye. I’m trying to write my rally report and get a handle on my experience and the vibe for this year.



I’m also experiencing post rally and flooded Bonneville blues, while studying the Texas mile for Salt Torpedo test runs in March. My son Frank, called this morning to discuss a friend who is wrapped in the Flat Earth notion and then he said, “Okay pops, what’s next?”

I think I am enjoying the outta-of-gear feeling right now. I’m still quizzing folks about their rally experience. My grandson had a blast, then was forced to ride back to war-homeless torn Los Angeles.

I wonder if Sturgis doesn’t represent so much more than motorcycles and new parts this year. Maybe it represented an escape from the madness. We’ll see. Let’s hit the news.



The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Las Vegas Bikefest, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.







Congratulations to the Law Tigers Challenge Winner at Sturgis!

Congratulations to Travis Bailey, a US Navy veteran, who won the 2022 Indian Chieftain Dark Horse provided by Indian Motorcycle. He lasted 77 hours in the competition!

Contestants were allowed a 15-minute break every 4 hours, and Law Tigers provided food and water. Thank you for your service, Travis; we can't wait to see you on your new ride at Sturgis next year!







TIRE NEWS--Stefano Mesa Proves to be Unstoppable with Pirelli DIABLO Superbike Slicks at Pittsburgh International Race Complex

Pirelli Makes it Six Track Records for the 2022 Season

Pirelli Tire North America captured its sixth absolute motorcycle track record of the 2022 racing season as Stefano Mesa proved to be unstoppable at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 14. It marked the third time this season that Mesa and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R motorcycle equipped with Pirelli DIABLO Superbike slicks have prevailed with a new track record.

“What a weekend!” said Mesa. “I always say these things never come easy, but we are on a pretty good roll these past few weeks. That’s three for me this season with my Pirelli slicks. My bike and tires are just working unbelievable right now. We’ve got a great setup and I want to try and keep this momentum rolling!”

Mesa’s new lap record of 1:41.619 was set during the WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Series in the A Superbike race on the non-chicane configuration while using Pirelli’s DIABLO Superbike SC2 125/70R17 front and DIABLO Superbike SC0 200/65R17 rear slicks.



“Another weekend, another record,” said Oscar Solis, Senior Racing Manager, Pirelli. “Stefano has been on fire with the way he’s been getting along with his bike and Pirelli tires. His riding really demonstrates the capability and continued performance of the DIABLO Superbike tire lineup. Stefano worked with our trackside vendor Alex Spellman at Trackside Tires to get dialed in for another great weekend of racing and it paid off. Congrats, Stefano!”

Mesa’s first two absolute motorcycle track records of the season were set at Roebling Road Raceway and Carolina Motorsports Park. He be became the first rider this season to earn three track records, topping JC Camacho who has two. Pirelli continues to remain the motorcycle tire of choice for North American riders looking to reach the top step of the podium and log fast laps at events and series that do not have a spec tire rule. Reward prizes are offered to riders who set a new motorcycle track record while using Pirelli race compound tires.

For more information about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit Pirelli.com





WHY WE CHOP SERIES, Chapter 2

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/WHY_CHOP_SERIES_Chapter_2.aspx

Good stuff

--Steve
Nelson, State, New Zealand





HERE’S THE TEXAS MILE--

--Wikipedia

Location(s): Beeville, TX
Next event: October 28-30, 2022
Also in March…





TRIKE OF THE WEEK--1895 Tricycle of Count Albert de Dion

Engine 185 cm3 with electric ignition of 2.25 hp, speeds up to 40 km / h.

De Dion entered his first tricycle in the 1896 competition on the route Paris - Marseille - Paris with a length of 1700 km and won them, having covered the entire distance at an average speed of 24 km / h

--from Fred Cuba





Indian 741 Scout Dirt Track Racer--

This Indian Scout dirt track racer powered Joe Ferrini to the 1950 New England Half Mile Championship. The bike is probably a good example of a typical post-World War II era homebuilt racer for AMA Competition Committee approved Class C* dirt track racing.

Indian Chief Engineer and Designer Charles B. Franklin’s Indian Scout, first introduced in 1919, has a strong history of both street riding and racing. Initially, the Scout had a 37 cubic inch 42 degree V-Twin with a gear primary. The motor was mounted in a cradle frame. In 1927 a 45 cubic inch engine was introduced which greatly increased the Scout’s power. In 1934 the Model 634 Sport Scout was introduced with a two-piece bolt-up rigid keystone frame and girder forks.

The new frame also increased ground clearance and agility when compared to former Scouts. The Sport Scout became a very good AMA Class C race bike, winning many races. An aside, in 1922 as Indian’s big machine, the first Chief was produced based on the Scout.

This homebuilt racer consists of a fabricated keystone frame and many Model 741 Military Scout components. The front bottom frame casting appears to be from a Sport Scout, the rear frame is from a 1941 Model 741 as is the girder fork and the crankcase halves. The cylinders and heads are from 1940 and later Sport Scout, and the primary case appears to be Sport Scout. It was typical of post war era homebuilt racers using 741 cases to bore out the cases to take Sport Scout cylinders. The bottom ends are pretty much the same in both models.

The net result of using these components is a bike of just under 45 cubic inches or 750 ccs, legal for AMA Class C racing. But typically, a Class C bike would use “matched” components, a factory engine assembly. Note that AMA racing rules called for “brakeless” race bikes through the mid-1960s, and down shifting was not permitted once the green flag dropped.

This fine racing Scout was restored by Ray Janelle 1992. The bike, a jacket, trophy and helmet came with the bike, now part of the Jill and John Parham Collection. A wide range of dirt track racers are displayed at the National Motorcycle Museum including a Harley-Davidson WR, an XR750, a KTM, a Yamaha, a BSA Gold Star and others, all near the Board Track Racing display at the Museum.

Specifications:

Displacement: 45 Cubic Inches / 750 cc’s
Ignition: Magneto
Carburetor: Linkert
Transmission: 3-Speed (4-Speed Optional)
Primary: Gear driven
Horsepower: 18HP, Stock
Suspension: Girder Front, Rigid Rear/Sprung Seat
Brakes: None
Wheelbase: 57 Inches

--NMM







IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: PLEASE JOIN

The MIC wants more members for its new working group built to examine PFAS legislation and proposals and develop a comprehensive approach to federal and state regulations that could forever change manufacturing across the industry.

"We're calling on MIC members with expertise and vested interests to contact us about joining our new PFAS working group," said Eric Barnes, MIC technical programs vice president. "PFAS presents a major powersports industry challenge, and whether you're an OE, aftermarket, or riding gear manufacturer, you must learn about government PFAS proposals and start looking for ways to replace PFAS in products you sell."

--MIC



MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION - MEETING OF THE MINDS 2022

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." – Thomas Jefferson

For nearly forty years, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation has been eternal vigilant. Nothing demonstrates more the MRF’s commitment to freedom and liberty than the MRF’s ongoing presence on Capitol Hill and the offices of members of Congress.

Eternal vigilance comes from an unyielding commitment by the MRF that goes to the roots of the nation’s premier bikers’ rights advocacy organization – the Annual Meeting of the Minds Conference.

The 38th Annual Meeting of the Minds, scheduled for September 22-25 in Des Moines Iowa, will do everything to reinforce the MRF’s commitment to motorcyclists’ rights and staying eternal vigilant.

Charlie “Chopper” Gilmore – U.S. Army veteran, motorcycle restorer, and freedom fighter is on deck as just one of the presenters at the 2022 Meeting of the Minds. His presentation – The Price of Freedom – is taken from life experiences and will certainly motivate and inspire attendees. Plus, the conference is sure to reinforce the MRF’s commitment eternal vigilance.

The Meeting of the Minds – renewing old friendships and making new ones. The Meeting of the Minds – three days of nuts-and-bolts workshops to augment the tools needed to promote and protect the rights of all motorcyclists. The Meeting of the Minds – more than a dozen presentations and workshops to build and strengthen individual’s and state motorcyclists’ rights organization’s commitment to protecting the freedoms motorcycling brings us all.

Workshops and presentations include but are not limited to:

• Up-to-the-minute Legislative Updates
• The necessity of Political Action Committees
• Riding skill enhancement
• What aging demographics means to motorcycling

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation lives and understands Eternal Vigilance… understands The Blessings of Freedom… and understands the commitments needed to protect rights, liberty, freedom, and our motorcycles from the pending siege from over-regulating and callous bureaucracies. Jefferson, Paine, and a host of others took stands to promote and defend the freedoms that all motorcyclists’ rights advocates understand.


Thank you for your support of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and we look forward to seeing you in Des Moines for the 38th Annual Meeting of the Minds.







Greetings from The Rodder's Journal!

It has been sometime since we have sent out a Rodder’s Journal email blast to you, but we are excited to announce that we are in full swing and working hard to get back on track. It has been a tough road getting back to this point, but we’re confident we are headed in the right direction, and we are excited about the future.

You may have heard that we debuted the new issue, TRJ #85, this past weekend at the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. First of all, we would like to thank everyone for the positive and supportive reception we received. Thank you to all that took the time to stop by.

We’d like to give you a quick run-down on where things stand without going into too much gory detail. You will be able to read more about all of that in the Editorial of TRJ #85.



But, first off, we do want to thank you for your patience, and your continued support in all of this. Failure is not an option and we have never faltered in our efforts to continue with The Rodder’s Journal. It has been a tough couple of years and many challenges lay ahead, but we firmly believe that we are well on track to bring the Rodder’s Journal back to its former glory.

Rodder’s Journal #85 is at the mailing house ready to ship. It will ship out to all current and Lifetime subscribers in the next few days. At Louisville we were asked quite a few times if existing subscriptions including Lifetime subscriptions will be honored and the short answer is yes.

For those of you that are not subscribers and prefer to pick up your copy in person. We will be shipping our Dealer copies over the next few days as well. We will not be going back to the large retail newsstands at big box retailers, so check with your local hot rod shop or independent book retailer in the next couple weeks to see if they have it in stock.

Our idea was really just to get an issue finished and out to you, so a lot of the logistics such as customer service phone calls, emails etc. are on the back burner until we have the capacity to handle them all. We expect that in a few weeks we should be able to start taking phone calls on the same 1-800-750-9550 number as we have in the past and answering any query emails at customerservice@roddersjournal.com too.

We are also rebuilding the website from the ground up. But all of this will take time. We will keep you posted as we make these changes.

On the International front, we know that the vast majority of subscribers did not get TRJ #84. We now have enough TRJ #84s and #85s to go to each international subscriber and they are at the mailing house ready to ship. We hope to have these out in the coming weeks also. Due to being two magazines, we are looking at the logistics of shipping both together, so this may take a little longer.

We are already in the midst of producing TRJ #86 and it’s beginning to shape up into what we think is a great issue. We’ll bring you more details of what to expect soon.

We are still rebuilding from the ground up, so it will take time, but you can be sure that we are working as hard as we can to get TRJ back to where it once was if not better!

Once again, thank you for your patience and support. We will try to keep you all as updated here as possible.

Sincerely,
The Rodder’s Journal






National awards program recognizes outstanding efforts to honor veterans and their families

The mission of Wreaths Across America (WAA) is to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Although the organization is best known for laying veterans’ wreaths on headstones of our fallen each December on Wreaths Across America Day (December 17th this year), the WAA mission is year-round and supported by the efforts of thousands of dedicated local volunteers throughout the country.

Each year, WAA recognizes some truly outstanding individuals with its national Remember, Honor, Teach and Learn awards.

Each award recipient is chosen from recommendations by our volunteer base and staff, culminating in an extensive review process by the WAA Executive Leadership Team.

Other awards include the Jim Prout Spirit of Giving Award which is chosen by the WAA Logistics Team based on recommendations from professional truck drivers, volunteers and staff, and the Founder’s Award which is an honor bestowed by the organization’s Founder, Morrill Worcester, for appreciation of outstanding contributions in the effort to honor our nation’s veterans. These two additional awards will be presented later this year.

On Saturday, August 6th, as part of its annual Stem to Stone event, WAA recognized this year’s Remember, Honor, Teach and Learn Award recipients.

And the winners are:

REMEMBER Award: Given to an individual or group who REMEMBERS the fallen and their sacrifice in a way that goes above and beyond. This year’s recipient is Richard “Richie” Poirier of Maine.

Corporal (ret) Poirier of Bravo Company 2nd 34th Mechanical Infantry Division of the United States Army served his country between 1983 and 1985. Following the events of 9/11, Poirier moved into a role of community service, helping to raise funds for people in need, coordinating blood drives, and served as a local Fire chief in Maine.

In 2015, his most satisfying community project was building a display case for a piece of steel that originally came from the twin towers in New York for the Wreaths Across America Museum. Recently, Poirier helped complete renovation work on the newly completed Gold Star Family History and Hospitality House located next door to Wreaths Across America’s headquarters. This 1800’s home features period rooms that honor many eras of American service, bravery, and sacrifice.

HONOR Award: Given annually to an individual or group who HONORS those who serve and their families in a way that supports the Wreaths Across America mission. This year’s recipient is Cyndi Valencia of Illinois.

As a proud descendent of Revolutionary War patriots, Cyndi has made it her personal mission to Honor our present and past veterans. For over two decades, she has been volunteering for numerous causes including Operation Care package, the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery Memorial Squad and support committee, Grateful Nation Remembers, Daughters of the American Revolution, Illinois Children of the American Revolution, Honor Flight Chicago, and many others through the years.

TEACH Award: Given annually to an individual or group who has made a large contribution in TEACHING the next generation to Remember and Honor those who serve in our nation’s military. This year’s recipient is Cindy Tatum of Tennessee.

Cindy Tatum became a Gold Star Mother on December 24, 2007, when her son, Cpl. Daniel Lee Tatum, USMC, who had served two deployments in Iraq, was killed outside of Camp Pendleton in an automobile/train collision. Approximately two years later, Cindy knew she had to “do” something to help keep the memory of her son’s service alive. In 2009, Cindy joined American Gold Star Mothers in her home state of TN. Cindy served on the National Executive Board of AGSM from 2013-2021 and served as the 2020-21 National President. She retired as an educator in May 2020, after spending 26 years as a Government and Economics teacher at Milan High School.

Cindy was delighted when she was approached by Wreaths Across America and asked to help develop a curriculum for the Teach component of the Mission. The programs she developed for teachers in their classrooms, from Kindergarten through Senior year of high school, can be found at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach. Cindy lives in Milan, TN, with her husband of 39 years Andy, and her service dog Linus. They have two adult children and four wonderful grandchildren.

LEARN Award: Given semi-annually to a young individual who has LEARNED, and understands, the Wreaths Across America mission and incorporates it into their young life. This year’s recipient is 11-year-old Trevor Geer of Maryland.

Despite the challenges associated with concerns over a pandemic, for the past few years Trevor Geer found a way to overcome these obstacles and still manage to honor over 500 fallen service members buried in four cities along the Chesapeake Bay. He attended his first wreath-laying ceremony at the Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery at the age of six, Trevor remembers being upset that some headstone did not have a veteran’s wreath to honor the interred. He said, “The people who fought for us is what made the country what it is today, and they deserve a wreath.”

This year, National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022. It is a free event, open to all people. Click here to find a local participating cemetery near you to support go to and type in your town and/or state. For more information or to find a participating cemetery near you, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.