Hey,

My grandson just experienced his first rally vendor effort in Southern California. He’s 28 and went to fantastic efforts to build a cool booth, man it and display a large inventory of leathers for sale.

Yesterday, his dad asked him if he wanted to set up a booth at the Sturgis Rally in a couple of weeks. His response was immediate and layered with expletives, “Fuck that,” Frankie said. “I wanna ride.”

Attending a rally even for a young rider takes planning, scheduling, finances, maintenance, you name it. Today a brother on a chopper might need to save for months to afford the gas.

Think about Saddlemen seats, moving product, marketing materials, staff, you name it to be present at the Sturgis rally for a week. The planning for one event could take several months.



I guess what I’m trying to say is: I honor and congratulate every brother who makes it to the Black Hills for rally. There better be enough Jack Daniels to go around. And for every vendor small and large, I respect their efforts to make the rally a more complete experience for every rider and enthusiast. I wish them traveling luck and success in the Black Hills. The brothers and sisters are anxiously waiting.



This rally represents so much more to the world of riders. It represents freedom from all the anxiety of daily life. It represents creativity in the best custom motorcycles from all over the world, new technology and innovation, the wild west, open roads and the Zen beauty of the Black Hills.

What could be better. Have a helluva rally and don’t run out of Jack Daniels, or we’re fucked!



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.








RGGI’s Flawed Climate Analysis
Over the last two years, members and staff of the CO2 Coalition have been actively fighting against the imposition of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in Pennsylvania (PA).

We have provided testimony before committees in both the PA House and Senate and published a detailed report debunking the supposed justification for it entitled Pennsylvania’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Relies on Faulty Data – Why RGGI is a “solution in search of a problem".

On Friday 8 July 2022, Judge Michael Wojcik granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state from implementing this costly program pending a court ruling later this fall. According to the injunction, the outcome of the ruling is likely to succeed in completely blocking this program.

--CO2 Coalition
CO2 Coalition
1621 North Kent Street, Suite 603
Arlington, Virginia 22209



Yelawolf, Shooter Jennings
Friday, August 5th
Ages 21+ welcome
No Cover, No Tickets Required - FREE CONCERTS





Should the Public Score Police Encounters?--
"To Protect and To Serve" is the motto we frequently see on the side of police vehicles. Most of us understand the "To Protect" part of the equation. We ask the men and women in blue to handle life-and-death situations on a regular basis. But what about the 'To Serve" portion of the job?

The Washington Post recently reported on three police departments, which employ a new officer rating system. The Warrenton, Virginia, department, patrolling a small town of nearly 10,000 residents an hour’s drive from Washington DC, uses Guardian Score along with two university police departments.

After any significant encounter, an officer hands out a business card with a QR code on the back. Each officer must then take additional time to explain what it is and how one can access a questionnaire.

The person stopped by the officer can fill out a questionnaire by first pointing their smartphone at the QR code on the back of the business card. After accessing the portal, the respondent can rate the officer's conduct anonymously through a series of questions on their phone. The questionnaire is similar to how we rate a ridesharing experience or a phone company call. The police department wants people to give honest feedback on the effectiveness of the officer's communications and fairness.

The goal is to give more power to those stopped by the police, most commonly during traffic stops. Most people are anxious during these encounters, but being black or brown takes on additional significance due to the potential for racial profiling. Filling out a Guardian Score is a way citizens can give feedback without feeling intimidated.

An officer's conglomerate score could also be used as part of an individual evaluation that goes beyond the number of arrests and tickets issued. Burke Brownfeld, former Alexandria, VA police officer and founder of Guardian Score said in the Post article:

"If we started to measure how officers are treating community members, we realized we could actually infuse this into the overall evaluation process of individual offers. The definition of doing a good job could change. It would also include: How are your listening skills? How fairly are you treating people based on their perception?"

In May 2022, President Biden signed an executive order that called for the creation of standards for police department accreditation. The order also requires an update on departmental use-of-force policies. In the wake of George Floyd's death, the subsequent street protests, and calls for police reform, many see this executive order as necessary.

Police Executive Research Forum Executive Director Chuck Wexler said he feels the Guardian Score program could become a powerful tool for departments across the country to measure community engagement—sometimes an elusive and missing element. He added, "At a time when many people are questioning police accountability and how police deal with citizens, police departments are looking for ways to measure how they are doing. And this is one of them."

So does the program work?
Launched in November 2021, the Warrenton, VA pilot presents many questions about its impact and whether it could work in major cities. The other pilot locations are at two university campus police departments at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, and Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.

So far, the Warrenton citizen response rate is around 10 percent, and the rate is closer to 20 percent at both universities. As of early June, the Warrenton police department received 170 reviews, with every one of them positive. Over the past six months, the average department score was 4.94 out of 5 stars.

Questions for our readers: Would you feel comfortable filling out a questionnaire about an officer's conduct during a traffic stop? What if the encounter was negative--Would it make a difference to you whether to fill out a Guardian Score-type questionnaire?

Your responses could lead to a follow-up newsletter.






He is mounting old Sportster heads on custom long jugs on UL and WL cases I suspect he is going to drill and tap the rockers for grease zerks.

They are really cool but you would need to carry around a squirt oil can to go very far. He was on the run, so I didn’t get to interview him much. He loves my truck.

Billy will be featured at the Flying Piston Breakfast in Sturgis on August 8th.

--Bill May





Get in early to make the most of the Pre-Entry Discount!
Late fee applies from July 16th 2022.

Not only do you save money by registering early, this enables us to make appropriate plans for facilities and resources for those attending. Pre-Entry Discount is available through July 15th 2022. Price increases July 16th. Register early and save.

FIM World Record Application Form now online
The FIM World Records Form is now available online to download, fill in and submit for your FIM World Record Attempt. Be sure to take a look at the Checklist ensure you have submitted ALL 3 parts for an FIM World Record Attempt. Click here to access the FIM Info and forms page.

Dates to mark on your calendar:
July 15th Pre-Entry discount Closes, FIM Entries due
August 15th- Online Entry Closes (Entry on the salt still available after deadline)
August 26th - VIR Pit Entry and Registration
August 27th - General Entry Pits, Registration & Scruineering Open
August 28th- Sept 1st - Racing
September 1st - Awards Party.






Read the whole story on Mama Tried.








This year it is an all-outdoor event at Hale Farm & Village, a 90 acre historic property housed in a National Park.

This will be a weekend you don't want to miss!
A few tips to ensure the best time:

Join in on the BMW Motorad Ride to Fuel Cleveland Run! Departing from Edgewater Park in Cleveland on Saturday, July 30th at 9am sharp. It is a beautiful ride that ends at Fuel Cleveland!

There are no ATMs at Fuel CLE, so be sure to bring cash for food, beer, and to shop with the unique vendors that are coming from all over the country!

Entry to Fuel Cleveland and Motorcycle parking is FREE, car parking costs $10 cash.

Get the Details at: FuelCleveland.com

PS - Scope out FuelCleveland.com for all the details, to submit your bike for a spot in the show, or to secure your vendor spot!








--Carl Pussar
Walkintallcycles@gmail.com





and pussies like brisket roast /
I wonder which of the genders /
would get oral sex the most / burma shave

--J.J. Solari






Dutch farmers – who sit as the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world and largest meat exporter in Europe – have brought the Netherlands to a standstill, protesting against Climate Change regulations.

The newly elected government has set up a 55-60 per cent emissions goal by 2030, 70 per cent by 2035, and 80 per cent at 2040. To meet these arbitrary climate targets, they have created a self-inflicted disaster that will see the government drag its agricultural sector up the temple stairs, tear it to bits, and let whatever bloody stumps are left to tumble down the steps for the pleasure of the United Nations climate gods.

Farms which have been feeding the world for hundreds of years are going to be unceremoniously shut and their owners ruined because a couple of bureaucrats decided they didn’t like the nitrogen and ammonia emissions produced by growing food.

--Climate Depot








Dan just received his paint back from Blue Moon Kustoms, Jayme Schmidt. This cutie will be auctioned off to support the All Kid’s Bike efforts.



--Bandit






A European Council decision leaves room for the internal combustion engine.

The European Commission wants to ban the sale of vehicles with an internal combustion engine from 2035. The political reality may however force the Commission to accept a compromise that allows for vehicles to run on alternative fuel alongside battery electric vehicles. FEMA’s Dolf Willigers looks at the possible consequences for us motorcyclists.

Although many press releases from environmental organizations and several other articles could make you believe different, the Council of the European Union left some room for vehicles with internal combustion engines that run of fossil-free fuels after 2035.

After the legislators of the European Parliament adopted – with some changes – the plans (part of the Fit for 55 package, reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030) of the European Commission to ban the sales of new cars and vans that have no zero CO2 tailpipe emission from 2035 (in practice all vehicles with an internal combustion engine), the Council of the European Union – after a long discussion that went into the night of 29 June 2022 – also came to a compromise that meant the adoption of this among other elements of the Fit for 55 package. One of them is the introduction of a CO2 tax for the heating of houses and other buildings and for fuels for cars. This should also affect private households and persons from 2028.



However, there is a difference. In the European Parliament the lawmakers that could not agree with the new plans were just outnumbered and the proposal about the zero CO2 emission for new cars from 2035 passed with 339 votes in favor to 249 against and 24 abstentions.

However, the Council decisions are by consensus: in the end, all member states must agree with a compromise to get it adopted. This changes everything, because some countries have a large car industry and lots of people working there. The idea of having a large part of these workers made redundant did not appeal very much to – for example – the German liberal party.

The solution came in the form of an additional sentence to the Council agreement: “Different technologies are and remain available to reach the zero-emission fleet wide target. Zero-emission vehicles currently include battery electric vehicles, fuel-cell and other hydrogen powered vehicles, and technological innovations are continuing.

Zero and low-emission vehicles, which also include well performing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, can continue to play a role in the transition pathway.” And an additional clause 9a: “Following consultation with stakeholders, the Commission will make a proposal for registering after 2035 vehicles running exclusively on CO2 neutral fuels in conformity with EU law, outside the scope of the fleet standards, and in conformity with the Union’s climate neutrality objective.”

Now, whatever is meant by “outside the scope of the fleet standards”, this leaves the door open for cars thermal engines after 2035 and not only for a few years for small series supercars like Ferrari. This is not the end of it.

The next step is that delegates of the Commission, the Parliament, and the Council of the EU are going to negotiate in the so-called trialogue. Here they must find a compromise and with that the Parliament and the Council will have a vote again. In short: that can be the end of the story, or a new round of negotiations will start.

Range and costs are the main reasons that not many larger electric motorcycles are being sold yet.



Now what does this all mean for motorcycling? Motorcycles are still not mentioned by either the Commission, the Parliament, or the Council of the EU and are out of the scope.

The reason why we look at what happens with cars and vans is that history has learned that sooner or later the same will happen with motorcycles, and then it may not be possible to escape the fate that strikes cars and vans. The day will come that the Commission comes with a proposal for a new type-approval regulation that contains a clause that means that motorcycles must have zero CO2 emission too.

Here it becomes interesting. We already see electric motorcycles. They are not sold much yet and the market for electric powered two-wheelers consists mainly of mopeds and small, city-oriented motorcycles. There are large ones too, think of Energica, Zero, Livewire, but these are expensive and still offer an at best moderate range.

Range and costs are the main reason that not many larger electric motorcycles are being sold yet. A 150 km range may be enough for the commuter and the average leisure rider, but you do not spend more than € 30,000 on a commuting bike.

As was recently pointed out in an article on the Bennetts website, with motorcycles, the drivetrain is a larger part of the vehicle, compared with cars, and the higher costs of engine, battery pack and software, that also must be special developed for motorcycles on a smaller scale, have a larger effect on the purchase costs of the motorcycle.

This may be one of the reasons that the established motorcycle brands are slower than their colleagues of the car brands. Another reason could be that with present development of batteries when you want a larger range, they will use a lot of space and add much weight to the motorcycle which has of course consequences for the handling. All good reasons why electric motorcycles are not as obvious, yet as electric cars may be.

Next to the motorcycle themselves (weight, price, range), there are other reasons why maybe we should not be very keen on a quick transition to electric motorcycles.

There is the issue of the infrastructure. Only a few countries in Europe have a proper charging infrastructure, and that is directed exclusively at cars.

Some motorcycles cannot even charge at all charging poles and the parking lots that comes with them are designed for cars. Car owners will not be happy with you when you keep one of ‘their’ parking spaces occupied while charging. Neither will you, because the charging stations ore often located at a far end of the service area with no facilities, social security, or anti-theft provisions.

We asked for that in a letter to the rapporteur of the new Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation, MEP Ismail Ertug, but he has ignored our input to his report.



Then there is the issue of the grid and the production of electricity. In the EU member state that is most advantaged in implementing a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, the Netherlands, there is a problem with the grid already because of the great number of electric cars and the transition from heating of buildings and houses with natural gas to electricity. Even to the point that at present new companies are denied a connection to the grid. More or less the same do we hear from other countries. For producing electricity coal plants are re-opened or their capacity is enlarged because of the larger demand, the present situation with the shrinking supply of natural gas from Russia, the rising cost of oil and the lagging production of sustainable energy. To be honest: e-fuels are not available yet on a commercial scale, the price will also be high and there is no guarantee that it gets cheaper on the long term.

There is the element of the production of batteries, solar panels, and turbines. All needed to produce and store electricity. This needs large amounts of rare materials that can only be delved at high social, economic, and environmental costs. This is also often the case with oil, let us not forget that. But still, contrary to what was and still is predicted, the prices of these raw materials and thus of batteries is rising and there is a good chance that they will rise even further with a growing demand.

As said before: this has a larger effect on the price of motorcycles than it has on the price of other vehicles.

Motorcycles, partly due to lower mileage per year, last very long, much longer than cars. In the European parliament, the Havana-effect was already mentioned: people will use their vehicles as long as they can to avoid purchasing a new car or motorcycle that they perhaps cannot afford or that they just do not want to have.

This transition period will be very long for motorcycles because of their longer lifespan. If you want to lower the CO2-emission it is better to have cleaner fuel than to wait until the end of this transition period.

The motorcycle industry should not be forced to completely switch to electric in 2035; there are still too many unsolved problems to put all efforts on one technique.

This being said, the Japanese big four in motorcycles have already announced that, due to environmental legislation in Japan, many existing models will not be made after this year, even the iconic Honda Gold Wing and the Yamaha FJR1300 will not be sold anymore. They have also announced that they will shift to electric. Honda will completely switch to electric from 2040, Yamaha will make 90% of new vehicles plug-ins by 2050.

--Written by Dolf Willigers






We’re offering up a bunch of Sportster chops. Some are painted and or built by Bernard Pouget, who worked at Bad Products 1962.











--Sam Burns
Feature investigator
Bikernet.com






"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Emerson

"Rest and be kind, you have nothing to prove." -- Buddha

Thank You
--Yale Gelfant
Choppers Cycle








Thanks to everyone who came out last weekend to celebrate our 20th Anniversary! We had a great time firing up over 20 of the rarest bikes in our collection and sharing their incredible history. We're continuing the celebration all month long, and you can join in with us through this month's raffle special.

CELEBRATE 20 YEARS!?
This month, when you enter our annual raffle at the "Greater Deal" package, you will get our limited edition 20th Anniversary Commemorative Coin along with your Raffle Tee, DVD, and Tickets. At the "Better Deal" package or higher, you will get the new Anniversary package, including the 20th Anniversary Commemorative Coin, Lapel Pin, and Anniversary Tee, in addition to your '37 Knucklehead Tee, DVD, and Tickets!

This year’s Raffle Bike is the stunning 1937 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead finished in one-year-only Delphine Blue, striped in Teak Red, and edged in Gold. This Model EL features an all-1937 61c.i. Knucklehead engine cradled in a genuine 1937 frame and fork, along with all-original pre-war fenders and gas tanks. The 1937-only dash panel sports a 120-mph speedo, NOS amp gauge, and oil pressure switch. This 30-year assemblage of genuine HD components makes it the rarest and most original WTT Raffle Bike to date!








In May, President Biden announced the Environmental Protection Agency would temporarily lift the summer restrictions on the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15). In response Representative Austin Scott (R-GA) and Representative Lois Frankel (D-FL) introduced the Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2022 (H.R. 7731).

H.R. 7731 requires more detailed labeling of gas pumps that dispense E15 fuel. Clearer labeling of E15 at the pump will warn consumers about the harmful impacts of misfuelling so consumers can better protect their engines.

Unfortunately, most consumers are not aware that these fuel blends may be causing damage to their vehicle. A recent survey found 3 in 5 consumers mistakenly believe that E15 is safe for use in all their products. Motorcycles, boats, pre-2001 model year vehicles, and outdoor power equipment are especially at risk to E15 blends.

Please GO to the MRF website and help us tell your Representative that consumer education on E15 is needed and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 7731.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation: The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.