Hey,

I could go in a lot of bummer directions today, but that misses the major point. We are absolutely living in the best of times, yet I suppose some folks are bored, so they need attack shit.

But I am moved by the brothers and sisters who recognize our flag, our monuments, our heritage and all the greatness flourishing in this country.

I’m hiding out in Deadwood, South Dakota and it’s crowded with folks and bikers who have come to smell the Jack Pine trees, ride through amazing highways, inhale the history of the Badlands and check the action in Sturgis.

We will get through this virus thing and party once more. In the meantime, the best things you can do to stay healthy and safe are to work out and ride motorcycles.

One of the bikes we shipped out, a 2015 touring Indian is in Vegas and the new owner can’t wait. He’s already figuring out what he can do to it. He built a sharp wooden platform so we can install my 1926 Peashooter in the house.

I’m trying to set up the garage, bought some welding supplies, need to find a bench and a few more tools.




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. Most recently Quick Throttle Magazine came on board.







NEWS FROM THE JIMS TEAM-- Support American Manufacturing

The crew at JIMS wishes you all a great 4th of July weekend! Celebrate our Independence day by getting out and riding your motorcycle, that's our idea of social distancing! It is important always, but especially now, to support American made products. Keep reading for news on our latest tools!




Milwaukee-Eight® Oil Pump Alignment Tool

Proper assembly of the cam chest is one of the most common tasks performed on Harley Davidson engines. Assembling the cam support plate along with the oil pump, gerotors, and pump cover to perfectly align with the pinion shaft flats all while properly seating the oil pump O-ring in the case can be a challenge for one set of hands. This new alignment tool, No.5838, is the perfect aid for the technician to either assemble as individual components with the supplied studs, OR as an assembly with the alignment dowel - saving time and money.



Late Model Dipstick Socket Insert


In 2012 Harley-Davidson changed the design of the oil dipstick from a “socket style” cap to a “finger grasp” cap design. Although this design feature is intended to make it easier for the owner or technician to remove the dipstick, often times it is still very difficult to remove. Sometimes the technician needs to remove the dipstick prior to the bike cooling down, or the dipstick is simply “stuck” and hard to remove. No longer should you risk damaging the dipstick cap with a set of pliers. Simply install this insert (No.760), in your existing JIMS dipstick socket tool (Part No.759), and remove the finger grasp cap easily with no chance of damage.





https://youtu.be/BVQAHKFmqwM

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY AT THE CHIP--Jim has various media and television stations in SD & surrounding states. He sent a news crew out last Friday to record our annual flag raising in the Freedom Field.



He was impressed enough to have this 7 minute 30 second video produced. He just called to advise he will be broadcasting it on all media from now through July 4th.

I just want to share it and hope you enjoy it.

--Woody
Mayor
Town of Buffalo Chip





RED CROSS REPORT--40 Million+ Meals Distributed in 15 Weeks:

Red Cross-Los Angeles Unified Partnership Concludes with School Year


Today, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region completed a 15-week partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District serving more than 40 million meals to students and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.


Red Cross LA partnered with the nation’s second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, to serve breakfast and lunch to the more than half a million students affected by school closures. Starting March 18, more than 1,200 Red Cross volunteers reported to the Grab & Go sites working shits from 6 –11 a.m.


In addition, the Red Cross is working with other local partners to provide meals, and to date has:

Assembled more than 34,700 meals at the L.A. Food Bank warehouse in Commerce
Distributed more than 35,600 meals at YMCA centers of Metropolitan Los Angeles
Assembled more than 40,300 meals at Khalsa Care Foundation in Pacoima
Distributed more than 2,000 meals at Sowing Seeds for Life Food Bank in La Verne

Facing the new normal head-on, the Red Cross in Los Angeles has also continued its work though new avenues trying to reach the broader community:

Red Cross AmeriCorps members have educated more than 25,800 individuals about disaster preparedness when they picked up food at the L.A. Unified Grab & Go Food sites and the YMCA centers.
This has given children and adults access to COVID-19 safety information, how to make a disaster preparedness kit, and how to download Monster Guard, an emergency preparedness mobile app designed for children.

Red Cross educators have provided free virtual disaster preparedness classes to the community, presented in English and Spanish), with classes geared toward preparing children.

Sign up for a class at redcross.org/la-virtual.

For the latest information on how you can help the Red Cross, please visit redcross.org/la-covid.









VENTED DIPSTICKS
Feuling billet aluminum dipsticks vent/breathe excessive crank case pressure from the oil tank through a PVC style breather consisting of an oil separator system, perforated disc, replaceable filter element and umbrella flapper valve. Feuling vented dipsticks screw into the factory oil fill spout as a stock replacement part. These breathing dipsticks remove unwanted build-up of blow by pressure in the oil tank.

Blow by is pressure that is forced past the rings & cylinders, pushed into the crankcase & then forced back into the oil tank. Feuling dipsticks help remove this unwanted pressure through a Crankcase Ventilation System (CVS). Test results show a decrease in engine oil sump levels, more freely/smoother revving engine, increased MPG & decreased blow by.



WE INCLUDE 2 VENTING OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM WHEN INSTALLING OUR DIPSTICK.ENGINES







The Pandemic Paradox: Motorcycle Sales Are Up

Although the economy is mostly tanking, many segments of the powersports industry showed increased sales in April and May, largely driven by off-road machines.

Read in Cycle World: https://apple.news/AvtETp9-_QOyssGKV5_7kZA

--Geno





WHAT’S NEXT FOR MOTORISTS’ RIGHTS--The need to advocate for motorists' rights has grown during the time of COVID. NMA members need to be more vigilant than ever in their home communities and states.

This newsletter is a reflection of what we see trending nationally. Last week in Part 1, we looked into our crystal ball at speed limits, automated traffic enforcement, and street surveillance. In Part 2, the focus is on police reform, infrastructure, tolls, and some positive issues we see coming down the pike.

We also want to hear your predictions of "What's Next?" Please email your comments to nma@motorists.org.

Police Reform

After the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests erupted in big cities and small towns around the country. Most protestors are demanding police reform and an end to police brutality. Why is this issue important to motorists? Most police interactions with the public are traffic-stop related.

The issue of police reform, transparency, and the role of enforcement will continue to be an issue in nearly every community. Both the US House and Senate are working on national police reform bills, and President Trump recently signed a related Executive Order.

The biggest concern for motorists in this police reform debate is that automated traffic enforcement does not become a default solution.

Infrastructure

Party politics dominate infrastructure at almost every level of government. Nationally, the Senate released last July a $287 billion plan to fix and maintain highways and bridges across the US. This month, the House offered its plan to tackle infrastructure after COVID-19 with an emphasis on maintenance, and increased funding for public transit. President Trump has also released an infrastructure plan that is receiving opposition due to the $1 trillion price tag.

States were struggling with funding infrastructure improvements before the pandemic crisis. Now, the situation has worsened due to the decrease in gas tax revenues during the pandemic.

Even though the Illinois gas tax will go up on July 1, the state's DOT projected in early May that it could lose $560 million in revenue this year. Washington State similarly declared that up to 40 percent of revenue would be lost due to the crisis. The two states are not alone in delaying or canceling road projects for the remainder of the year.

How to pay for infrastructure and what kind of infrastructure to fund appear to be the two questions that very few elected officials (or political parties) can agree upon during this time.

Road Tolls, Congestion Pricing, and Road User Charges (ROC)

With the downturn in the economy, government officials and other bureaucrats will hawk road tolls and congestion pricing as the best way to pay for roads and other expenses. Some analysts claim that the gas tax is a nearly dead funding source due to the advent of electric vehicles and more efficient gas-powered cars. The situation isn't helped by frequent raids on gas tax revenues by both state and federal officials to pay for various programs, including some not transportation related.

States are working hard to come up with answers on how to increase maintenance for older roads and bridges and investing in new infrastructure to support population growth. A prime example is the state of Michigan, which, before the pandemic hit, was already struggling with the magnitude of its infrastructure funding problem.

In 2019, state lawmakers had an open fight with Governor Gretchen Whitmer when she proposed a 45-cent increase to Michigan's 26.3-cent fuel tax rate. She felt this was the easiest way to provide funds for road and bridge projects. Lawmakers disagreed, creating a six-month impasse until a plan for tolling roads in the state was hatched.

The Michigan Senate passed SB517, a bill that would establish a panel to investigate the feasibility of charging tolls on roads and bridges. That same bill has passed the House Transportation Committee, and now it's on its way to the full House for a vote. The Governor was against tolls a year ago, and as recently as January said that she would like to see a number of funding sources for infrastructure.

Road User Charges, also referred to as a VMT (vehicle miles traveled) tax, continues to be seen as the alternative to the gas tax. If such a tax is ever implemented, this would mean that every mile you drive would be tracked and taxed.

We addressed the subject last year in this series of three newsletters:

Are we Slinking Ever Closer to a Universal Road User Charge?

Part 1 took a look at the national landscape
Part 2 examined what Congress was doing a year ago
Part 3 investigated regional and local efforts

Many cities will continue to push for congestion pricing. New York state lawmakers have already passed legislation for NYC to start the country's first congestion pricing scheme. The state, though, has not yet received permission from the federal government to proceed. Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle are toying with the idea.



Some Positive Issues for Motorists' Rights

Civil Asset Forfeiture laws will continue to be reformed on the federal and state levels.

Overall traffic enforcement may be reduced as state, and local police resources are stretched thin due to budget cuts.
Rank-and-file police officers will feel more comfortable either whistleblowing or even suing police departments over ticket quotas.

Driverless and connected cars will not be deployed as predicted any time soon. There are too many algorithmic flaws and not enough funding to fix the road infrastructure to support them in the near future.

Many issues are ahead, and we need our readers of the Weekly E-Newsletter to support the efforts of the NMA and volunteers across the country who are standing up for motorists' rights. Thank you for your support!








WILLIE IS ALREADY THINKING ABOUT BIKETOBERFEST--Here is the first draft of the Biketoberfest Ad, please let me know of any changes, corrections or additions.

--Rogue
Senior Editor
Bikernet.com





BRAND New Bikernet Reader Comment!--
BLUE SKIES BIKERNET WEEKLY NEWS for June 25, 2020



https://www.bikernet.com/pages/BLUE_SKIES_BIKERNET_WEEKLY_NEWS_for_June_25_2020.aspx


Great issue of the news but two comments. Firstly, I thought Stealth was being a bit precious with his Confederate comments about Harley-Davidson. It was okay back in the day to produce a Confederate model. It's only the twisted snowflakes who get their panties in a knot trying to erase history. And secondly, Indian making the claim that their "HEATED & COOLED SEAT FEATURES

INDUSTRY-FIRST TECHNOLOGY FOR SUPERIOR COOLING". Wrong, I've had one of Mike Corbin's Fire & Ice saddles for well over a year now, so Indian is playing catch up.



-- Doc Robinson
docrob@bigpond.com
Somerton Park, SA, Australia

Doc, how about a report about Mike’s seat. Is it using the same technology as the Indian seat?--Bandit







NEW ISSUE IS OUT FROM THE AMCA--
The current issue is in the mail now. If you are still awaiting the mail man and have not yet received your copy in the mail, you can click on the above cover image to see exactly the same magazine, containing every page, every story and every ad, from your desktop computer, your laptop, your tablet or even your phone!

If you're a New Member or a recently renewed member whose membership expired before June 1st, your first (next) printed issue will be the following issue but please enjoy this digital issue this month.

For those in the U.S. you will receive your printed copy within days or may have already received it. Members in Canada and Mexico in a week or so and overseas in several weeks. Regardless of your postal services’ speed, everyone gets this version at the same time. Please note that due to the Coronavirus the U.S. Postal service is running very slow on periodic postage and Canadian and all Overseas postal services are experiencing double the time to receive magazines. Some may still be awaiting the previous issue. This is completely out of our control so please be patient.

The digital edition is an invaluable tool for members who want to find a story from an old magazine. As new magazines are posted, we are building up an archive of past issues you can refer to anytime, without fumbling through that stack of printed magazines in the corner of your shop.

All you'll need to take advantage of this wonderful benefit is login at our website and start reading.



In the July/August issue, you'll get:
-- A look back at the Golden Age of four-cylinder motorcycles that actually began before the dawn of the 20th century.
-- A virtual visit to the Perkiomen Chapter National Meet that wasn't, as told through some of the motorcycles entered in judging there.
-- An account of how this year's Omaha Chapter National Meet turned Nebraska into the Sunshine State for one weekend in February.
-- Plus, much more






QUICK, OPEN THE BANDIT’S CANTINA BAD JOKE LIBRARY--
My boss told me to have a good day. so, I went home.

Why is Peter Pan always flying? He neverlands.

A woman walks into a library and asked if they had any books about paranoia. The librarian says, "They're right behind you!"

The other day, my wife asked me to pass her lipstick, but I accidentally passed her a glue stick. She still isn't talking to me.

Why do blind people hate skydiving? It scares the hell out of their dogs.

When you look really closely, all mirrors look like eyeballs.

My friend says to me: "What rhymes with orange" I said: "No it doesn't"

What do you call a guy with a rubber toe? Roberto.

What did the pirate say when he turned 80 years old? Aye maty.

My wife told me I had to stop acting like a flamingo. So, I had to put my foot down.

I couldn't figure out why the baseball kept getting larger. Then it hit me.

--from Sam Burns
Official Librarian
Bandit’s Cantina Bad Joke Library







WILD NEWS FROM THE CLIMATE DEPOT--Green Guru Michael Shellenberger, formerly Time Magazine's “Hero of the Environment': "On behalf of environmentalists everywhere, I would like to formally apologize for the climate scare we created over the last 30 years. Climate change is happening. It’s just not the end of the world. It’s not even our most serious environmental problem. I may seem like a strange person to be saying all of this. I have been a climate activist for 20 years and an environmentalist for 30.

But as an energy expert asked by Congress to provide objective expert testimony, and invited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to serve as Expert Reviewer of its next Assessment Report, I feel an obligation to apologize for how badly we environmentalists have misled the public."


Some people will, when they read this imagine that I’m some right-wing anti-environmentalist. I’m not. At 17, I lived in Nicaragua to show solidarity with the Sandinista socialist revolution...I became an environmentalist at 16 when I threw a fundraiser for Rainforest Action Network...In my 30s I advocated renewables and successfully helped persuade the Obama administration to invest $90 billion into them...

Scientific institutions including WHO and IPCC have undermined their credibility through the repeated politicization of science.

Until last year, I mostly avoided speaking out against the climate scare. Partly that’s because I was embarrassed. After all, I am as guilty of alarmism as any other environmentalist...I remained quiet about the climate disinformation campaign because I was afraid of losing friends and funding.

But then, last year, things spiraled out of control. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said “The world is going to end in twelve years if we don’t address climate change.” Britain’s most high-profile environmental group claimed “Climate Change Kills Children.”

And so my formal apology for our fear-mongering comes in the form of my new book, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All.

It is based on two decades of research and three decades of environmental activism. At 400 pages, with 100 of them endnotes, Apocalypse Never covers climate change, deforestation, plastic waste, species extinction, industrialization, meat, nuclear energy, and renewables.

By: Marc Morano - Climate Depot


I immediately ordered this book.—Bandit




LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK--2013 Harley-Davidson FLTRX - Road Glide Custom for $14,995.00

see it here: https://www.lifestylecycles.com/default.asp?page=xPreOwnedInventoryDetail&id=8969957

2013 Harley Davidson street glide FLTRX

Candy Orange with Tan pinstriping



ONLY 39592 Miles !!!!!

*Candy orange paint
*Tan pinstriping
*Diamond stitch Danny Grey custom seat
*Upgraded Harley heal-Toe shifters
*Harley skull highway pegs
*Front L.E.D turn signals
*Open air high flow Air cleaner
*Freedom high flow true dual Header
*Freedom high flow slip-on's
*Four point docking hardware
*103 cc V-twin
*6 speed Transmission
*Chrome gauge bezels
*Harley radio with handlebar controls
*21 inch flat bar meathook handlebars with internal wiring
*Braided Brake and Clutch cables
*Chrome passenger footpegs
*Color matched candy orange saddlebag latches
*Shorty antenna



This bike is flawless and perfect in every way!

This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 101 point safety and mechanical inspection. Whether your looking to commute to work, ride the coast or take that dream vacation, this bike is ready to go!!!



EZ FINANCING-SHIPPING AVAILABLE!!!

Fill out an online application and ride today!!!

**Open 7 days a week**

***90 day/1000 mile in house limited warranty!

Just $14,995.00 at Lifestyle Cycles (714) 490-0155






NEWS FROM CHRIS-- My husband Gabe's 1946 Harley Flathead chopper he built has been selected to be in the 2021 Snap-On Snap Shots calendar! Pretty excited; I took the photo.



Also, I just bought a 1969 AMX with a hot 360 and 4-speed.




--Chris Gibbany
Moto-journalist/Event host/Bike builder
Old Iron Never Dies!