Hey,

My son sent me a documentary about the Great Reset. I started to watch it, then stopped—too depressing. I called him and said, “If it’s going in that direction only one thing to do. Let's Party!



Actually, there are two things, fight back and let’s party, but no one wants to fight back, so let’s party until the end.

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.






NEW CALIFORNIA SMOG REQUIREMENTS—
We recently received a query from an ADVRider reader asking whether a new California regulation applies to motorcycles. The regulation in question requires vehicles to pass a biennial smog check. While that part of the regulation is not new, it does add some new requirements that could be of significant interest to enthusiasts. So, we decided to check on the reader’s question.

Smog check
As amended, the new reg states that model year 1996 or newer vehicles with an ECU that’s not approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will automatically fail the California biennial smog check.

As of July 19th, 2021, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) is expanding the smog check test to accommodate the regulation. The new procedure will check that each ECU is running factory software or a CARB-approved ECU tune. If the vehicle is running software that does not meet these criteria, it will fail the smog check. A failure means that the vehicle cannot be registered or renewed until the ECU is brought into compliance.

In addition, any aftermarket computer device like the ECU or an inline tuner must have an Executive Order (EO) number that is CARB approved.

Are motorcycles affected?
So now that we know what California thinks and does about modified ECUs, we turn to the question of whether the new regulation pertains to motorcycles. And with a little research, we’ve found that it does not. Clicking on to CARB’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, we see that motorcycles have been specifically exempted from the new California smog check regulation.

Actually, there’s a long list of vehicles that do not require a biennial smog check. They are as follows:

Gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and alternative-fuel vehicles that are model-year 1975 and older.

Gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and alternative-fuel vehicles that are eight model years and newer do not require a biennial Smog Check.

Gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and alternative-fuel vehicles that are four model years and newer do not require a change-of-ownership Smog Check.

Diesel-powered vehicles that are model-year 1997 and older.

Diesel-powered vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds.

Electric-powered vehicles.
Motorcycles.
Why are motorcycles exempt from the smog check?
There’s no rationale given for why motorcycles have been exempted. It’s interesting because some governments are targeting motorcycles in other parts of the world due to the sheer number of two-wheelers on the road. With California having the strictest smog regulations in the USA, you must wonder why the state has decided to exempt them.


--from Adventure Rider

Adventure Rider seems to be pushing for more CARB motorcycle regulations. --Bandit





Peter Wade, fantastic hack for the brilliant Rolling Stone Whateveritis, is saying that Texas is throwing the US Constitution into the trash by.....get this.....denying Haitian illegal invaders their rights under the US Constitution.



"Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to crack down on undocumented immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border has led to the arrests of hundreds of migrants who are now languishing in Texas prisons, often without being charged with a crime or assigned legal representation in violation of both their constitutional rights and Texas state law."
--Peter Wade, Rolling Stone




XDA Champions will be crowned at DME Racing Fall Nationals--Two wheels, one mission, defeat the competition and secure the crown.


On October 8-10 the XDA concludes its motorcycle drag racing season at Maryland International Raceway with the 29th annual DME Racing Fall Nationals.

In the seventh and final battle of the year, sixteen classes and over 700 racers will be armed and ready as they compete for the 2021 XDA Championship titles and $85,000 in cash purse.


The DME Racing Fall Nationals will feature 6-second, 220+mph Pro Street Motorcycles, 7-second, 190mph Real Street bikes, 3-second 1/8 mile Pro Xtreme motorcycles, and the "Running of the Bulls" Grudge Shootouts.

And to end the season with a bang, XDA is offering up mo' money to their sportsman racers with a $10K to win MPS Racing Pro ET race on Sunday! The class will feature a guaranteed $14,300 total payout, with double-entries permitted in Pro ET. Riders MUST enter their second entry on a different bike with a different bike number, no exceptions.

The vendor midway will be full of great deals on motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel. And the Saturday night corn-hole tournaments are still the place to be on Saturday night at the track.


Orient Express Racing Pro Street

Next weekend the Orient Express Pro Street class will turn up the dial on the country's quickest and fastest 650+ horsepower Pro Street motorcycles. For the last nine years, the Pro Street championship chase came down to the season's final event. But Rodney Williford has put an end to that streak by clinching the championship at the Bike Brawl earlier this month with a 206 point lead over #2 Justin Shakir. Jason Dunigan, Greg Wallace, and Gaige Herrera follow to round out the top five in points.



And just because the championship has been decided, that doesn't mean the battle is over. Pro Street racers will also be fighting for a top ten finish to qualify for the chance to compete in front of 40,000+ fans at the 25th annual Haltech World Cup Finals presented by Wiseco on November 3-7, 2021.

The exclusive Platinum General Services Pro Street Shootout at WCF offers a $5,000 to win purse. The top four riders are already locked in for a spot, while eight other racers will battle it out for the remaining six spots.

Darion Payne who currently sits in the #8 spot for WCF, is in serious jeopardy of being bumped out. Payne will miss the XDA finals to celebrate his wife Tonisha's birthday. "Making my wife happy is worth it," was Payne's response when we asked him about potentially missing the WCF event.



Kenny Brewer, Jamie Lopes, Curtis Brown, Ryan Bonitatis, Ricky Wood, and James Waugh will be ready to capitalize on Tonisha's happiness as they battle for one of the remaining spots.

XDA is also looking forward to seeing the Midwest racers of Brett Ware, Brad Christian, Rudy Sanzottera, and Jamie Hendricks at the DME Racing Fall Nationals for the first time this season.


DME Racing Real Street

The DME Racing Real Street class will be a pressure cooker as Mark Hylton and David Stewart battle for the championship. Hylton currently has a mere twenty-point lead on Stewart. Stewart has had three wins this season, and Hylton has had two. These are two well-matched competitors as the season finale approaches.



Brittany Bohne is in her first full season of Real Street and will finish in the top five in points. She is currently holding on to the #4 spot, one point ahead of Ralphie Navarro.

Another rookie, Trevor Schnitz, will finish in the top of ten for his first competition season. This season, Schnitz took a runner-up finish and has also been a fierce contender in HTP Performance Super Stock and several sportsman classes.

Real Street is a great class to make that next step if you are looking to enter the Pro ranks. Make plans to be at MDIR next weekend.


HTP Performance Super Stock

The HTP Performance Super Stock championship is also locked down by last year's champion David Fondon. Fondon won the 2021 inaugural season by a respectable sixty-three-point lead. And this year, he is crushing the class with a 347 point lead! And the credit all goes to Fondon's riding ability because he has taken wins on three different motorcycles this season. Fondon has ridden a Kawasaki ZX-10R, a BMW S1000RR, and a Kawasaki ZX-14. It has been impressive to watch Fondon at work this season.



Jy’rec Givens and Mike Davis are both sitting tied in the #2 spot. Along with Curtis McDougald and Derek Sobiech, these four will be battling for the second-place spot next weekend. Last year Givens finished the season in the #5 spot, so he would like to improve this year and hold onto that #2 position.


Maxx ECU Pro Xtreme

We are in the third year of the eighth-mile heads-up class of MaxxECU Pro Xtreme featuring the Turbocharged, Supercharged, and Nitrous Injected wheelie-bar drag bikes. Kevin Clarke and Travis Davis are the previous class champions and will be joined by Chris Garner-Jones as the new class champion.

Jones has already clinched the 2021 championship with a one hundred and seventy-eight point lead. This year, Jones also reset the ET record with a 3.897 pass at the Platinum Fleet Repair season opener. Out of the six races already contested, Jones has taken five wins. So regardless of what happens next weekend, it's been a good year for Jones.



John Collins sits in the number two spot, and Rob Garcia is the only racer who can take that away. But what we really need to watch for next weekend are the performance numbers. With the fall air setting in and the first October race for XDA, the stage is set for real performance numbers.

MaxxECU Pro Xtreme is presented by Ace Mechanical, Billy Vose Racing, Dallas Flat Glass, Dunigan Racing, DME Racing, Grothus Dragbikes, Harley Haul, Rob Bush Motorsports, Robinson Industries, Schnitz Racing, Timblin Chassis, and Worldwide Bearings.



HTP Performance Grudge

The HTP Performance Grudge classes will be hooking up at the finals with their last chance to earn points and flex their performance on the best-prepped grudge surface around. Saturday night will be electric as the XDA Bull riders turn on win lights as they attempt to earn a few more points for a championship.


APE Nitrous Bulls

APE Nitrous Bulls is the only grudge class that already has the championship determined. Russell Dennison Jr on 'Jimmy Hendricks' tuned by Dave Norris officially locked down his 2021 championship at the Bike Brawl. In 2019 Dave Norris won this same championship on the very same bike. This team will still be looking for real competition next week while they celebrate success.



3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls

The 3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls championship is wide-open. The 2020 class champion David Page on 'Pickin Pockets' leads the class by three points. David Martin and Jason Herron follow Page in points, but all three competitors have an equal chance to win the championship next weekend. For the past three years, Martin has been one step behind Page in points, so next weekend, he will need to hit the override button if he wants to finally get out in front.




Tommie's Motorsports DMV Bulls

The inaugural season of Tommie's Motorsports DMV Bulls has been a success with twenty-nine riders showing up to play games. Duane Jackson on 'Miss Behavin' has a six-point lead over the class. But the top five riders in points all have a chance to win the championship next weekend at MDIR. Those riders include Geoff Godfrey, Cody Lowe, Desmond Spalding, and Edward Thomas.


Vance & Hines 4.60

The Vance & Hines 4.60 eighth-mile class showcases the fiercest Sportsman around. Their reaction times and their dead on eighth-mile times make them the most exciting sportsman class to watch from Friday through Sunday. And currently leading the helm is the 2020 class champion, Ronald Procopio. Procopio is presently leading by forty-one points over his seventy-eight competitors.



The top seven racers in the points chase still have a chance to knock Procopio out and take the throne. And six of those competitors have made final round appearances this year. Except for Broderick Jackson, so is Jackson due for a final next weekend? If Jackson takes his first win, and Procopio takes a round one loss, it will be the upset of the season! In this class anything and everything can happen come Sunday. Make plans to be there for the action.


1 Stop Speed 5.60

The 1 Stop Speed 5.60 is led by Dustin Lee, who has officially clinched the championship to defend his 2020 title. With a two hundred and eighteen point lead, Lee can start the celebrating early while the rest of the class battles for a top ten plate.



Carson Fields will be looking over his shoulder as he tries to hold onto that #2 spot. Nick Noble, Jimmie Miller, Nick Hamlet, and Duane Jackson are in striking distance to take Fields out of the #2 spot.

Barry Pryer Sr sits seventh in points but has been on a winning hot streak; another win could land him the number two spot. The Sunday battle in this eighth-mile class will be a furious fight from the starting line to the 660'.


Mickey Thompson Tires Top Sportsman

Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman will see the quickest sportsman racers on the property go to battle next weekend. Jefferey Santin's points lead in this class has been shrinking and now only has the lead by one point. Six additional racers have the mathematical chance for the championship at the DME Racing Fall Nationals. Bobby Holland, Robin Procopio, Dustin Lee, George Shriver, Norman Teal, and Pablo Gonzalez are in championship contention.



Procopio and Lee are both previous class champions and know the way to this championship very well. Gonzalez won the last two events and is on a hot winning streak; however, those wins were at Virginia Motorsports Park. Can he win at MDIR? You have to be there to watch the action!


MPS Racing Pro ET

Jefferey Santin leads the MPS Racing Pro ET by sixty-one points over 264 competitors. Santin has four key competitors he needs to stay in front of next weekend. Dustin Lee, Duane Jackson, Dale Hamilton, and Nick Hamlett.



You have seen these names many times in the winner's circle, which means next weekend is not going to be an easy task for Santin. It's going to be a slugfest at the DME Racing Fall Nationals in this category with $10,000 up for grabs that you won't want to miss.


Brock's Performance Street ET

The Brock's Performance Street ET class has seen close to two hundred riders, from the beginner to the seasoned racer this year.

The 2020 class champion Derrick Milbourne is on track to defend his title as he leads the class by eighty-two points. With an average of one hundred points to an event winner, only three racers are in proximity to dethrone the champ. Mark Blake, Patrick Farrow, and Louis Green Jr. all have a shot next weekend at the championship.



But don't let a championship chase stop you from attending. For only $65 you can start a drag racing career with the best motorcycle drag racing sanction on the east coast.

Grab your family and friends and head to Maryland International Raceway next weekend for an exciting weekend of two-wheel racing action and history-making runs on October 8-10, for the 29th annual DME Racing Fall Nationals. XDA, it's always the place to be!

Visit xdaracing.com for event information, class rules, schedule, and more.





HELP FOR CALIFORNIA SHOPS--Defense Attorneys for Repair Shops and Emission Laws

Automotive Defense Specialists Announces New Online Interview with Attorney William Ferreira on Auto Repair.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, September 29, 2021 -- Automotive Defense Specialists, a team of best-in-class defense attorneys for the SMOG and auto repair industry at https://automotivedefense.com, is proud to announce a new online interview.

Lead attorney William Ferreira spoke with Racket & Wrench Magazine about the challenges facing those who might confront the state regulatory agency, or Bureau of Automotive Repair.

FULL ARTICLE: https://motorcycles.einnews.com/pr_news/552242636/automotive-defense-specialists-announces-new-online-interview-with-attorney-william-ferreira-on-auto-repair







BEHIND THE SCENES AT HARLEY-DAVIDSON-- Just a little something this past weekend. I went back to Virginia for my niece’s wedding. While there thought I would pay the local dealership a visit. While I was looking at shirts the apparel girl told me she heard about Harley’s new rule on t shirts. She told me, no longer can you have any type of weapon on the back of the shirts, no cleavage showing or any civil war scenes?

This part of Virginia is rich in civil war history. So, I guess Harley has joined the politically correct club now? Being a biker are we not rebels? I don’t plan on spending many more days in this segment of the industry. Things like this are part of the reason why!

Later!

--Stealth







NEW FROM CHOPPERS MAGAZINE-- Color Me Gone II
Well here it is... the coloring book you’ve always wanted for yourself. 204 fun filled pages of chopper goodness from our pal @Saucerman63. Comes with a free six pack... of crayons silly.

$8.00





WHEELS THROUGH TIME ’48 RAFFLE-- With less than 60 Days remaining till Raffle Day, we decided to ?sweeten the pot!

This year's raffle bike is Harley-Davidson's milestone machine, the 1948 Panhead. Finished in brilliant black and Harley's deluxe chrome package, this machine has been Beautifully restored to showroom condition. As if that wasn't sweet enough, we decided to add the Hanson Sport Windshield. This period-correct accessory is not only practical but gives the bike an even classier look!

With limited time remaining to get tickets, your chance to win this iconic machine is now.






A CHARGING STATION NEAR YOU--Biden announced earlier this year that he wanted 50 percent of all cars sold in 2030 to be electric. But is that practical? Car-buying decisions by consumers are just one piece of the puzzle.

According to the US Department of Energy, the nation has over 43,000 public charging stations with about 105,000 individual outlets. Approximately 5,000 of these are direct-current fast (Level 3) chargers. Biden wants to have a total of 500,000 chargers online by 2030. The Brattle Group estimates that the US will require 1.25 million public charging outlets to support a projected 20 million electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. The cost to provide that capacity is projected to be $30 to $50 billion.

The charger designation dictates the cost. The higher the level, the quicker the charge, and, of course, the more expensive the charging station installation.

Automakers continue to promise that someday it will take as little as 10 minutes to charge an EV to about 80 percent capacity. Level 1 and 2 chargers, including home units, generally require four to twelve hours to charge an EV battery fully.

More electric vehicles need to be on the road to support such an expansion of charging capabilities successfully. Kind of like a chicken and egg situation—which comes first?

That's not an easy task either since it will require a mix of public-private partnerships that involve local governments, businesses, utility companies, and automakers, along with an emerging group of EV charging companies. The logistics of constructing an EV charging network are not as simple as putting in a gas station on every corner.

A YouTube video from a few years ago illustrated just how difficult it is actually to charge your EV if away from your home charger. Convenient and efficient EV charging is a must if Americans are going to embrace the technology.

The Hill recently had an opinion piece called Right Ways and Wrong Ways to Electrify America. This paragraph stood out:

"We must move both fast and smart in this EV revolution. There are some major potholes that we must swerve around in this Indy 500 speedway towards making America all-electric."

The overriding issue in the electric vehicle discussion is whether consumers will flock to EVs just because the government mandates it?

Currently, only 2.1 percent of the roughly 17 million vehicles sold each year in the US are all-electric. In 2020, EV sales dropped by more than 3 percent from 2018. One in five California EV car owners has already gone back to an internal combustion engine.

Electric vehicle technology must continue to advance for the hearts and minds of the car-buying public to follow, mandate or no mandate.

--NMA





DO US A FAVOR—Sign up for our weekly emails. It doesn’t cost a dime and may bring you immediate news on the day it happens. Plus, you will be reminded of any new Bikernet Content.

https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/survey.aspx

--Bandit






NEWS FROM THE BIKERNET BLOG EDITOR--
It's maybe different that Triumph motorcycles can capitalize on movies, even with a Steve McQueen Edition - but there is no enthusiasm from Harley-Davidson with the legend status they so proudly wear on their marketing efforts.

I think it stems from the past image of biker gangs and rebels in heydays of Hollywood from the 1950s. No company can package that for selling their product to new customers. At the same time, no motorcycle brand like Harley-Davidson would want to appear with a "You meet nicest people on a Honda" type of branding even though now we live in a politically-correct 21st century which would think that's a great slogan.

There is no balance between the two extremes, kind of like the divided nation portrayed in politics of the nation. No middle-ground to meet for the branding in movies.

I think that's why both Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson stay out of tie-ups with Hollywood movies. Who knows which movie / actor / director / producer offends whom and then a product from the movie starts receiving bad press for association in the production.

New Triumph Tiger 900 Limited Edition Celebrating James Bond

https://blog.bikernet.com/new-triumph-tiger-900-limited-edition-celebrating-james-bond/


-- UNRELATED:
Also, check out this crazy music video, no actual motorcycle used but unique concept. Reviews state this critically acclaimed album titled ‘Hot Sass’ from Liz Cooper as Muscular, Psychedlia-Inflected Garage Rock.

Liz Cooper Releases 'Motorcycle' Music Video From Recent Album 'Hot Sass'

https://youtu.be/BEdMWMfu9oc


--Wayfarer
Editor and Supreme Chief
Bikernet Blog™






JOHN STOSSEL SUES FACEBOOK--
Former TV journalist John Stossel is demanding at least $2 million in damages from Facebook in a lawsuit he filed against the social media giant, alleging the company defamed him by appending fact-checking labels to two videos he posted about climate change.

In a statement to Variety, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We believe this case is without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously against the allegations.”

According to Stossel’s lawsuit, in the past year he posted two short video reports on Facebook in which he “interviewed experts in the climate change arena.”

In one video, “Government Fueled Fires,” about the 2020 wildfires in California, Facebook and its fact-checking partners “falsely attributed to Stossel a claim he never made, and on that basis flagged the content as ‘misleading’ and ‘missing context,’ so that would-be viewers would be routed to the false attribution statement.” The complaint says that Stossel’s video “explored a scientific hypothesis” that “while climate change undoubtedly contributes to forest fires, it was not the primary cause of the 2020 California fires.” Per the suit, Stossel says he never made the claim that “Forest fires are caused by poor management. Not by climate change,” which was in Facebook’s fact-check.

On the second video, “Are We Doomed?”, Facebook added a “partly false”/“factual inaccuracies” label. That video questioned claims made by those Stossel refers to as “environmental alarmists,” including “claims that hurricanes are getting stronger, that sea level rise poses a catastrophic threat, and that humans will be unable to cope with the fallout.” Stossel claims the Facebook fact-check didn’t actually challenge any facts in the video, and he argues that the company’s fact-check process “is nothing more than a pretext… to defame users with impunity, particularly when Defendants disagree with the scientific opinions expressed in user content.”

The lawsuit alleges that “Stossel was given no meaningful avenue to contest these unilateral decisions about the truth of his journalism. Meanwhile, his viewership plummeted due to both Facebook’s censorship and the reputational harm caused by the false labels.”

If the courts won’t act then Congress must end its protection of Facebook’s monopoly—Michael Shellenberger

By Todd Spangler

More and more prominent folks and organizations are fighting back. --Bandit