Hey,
How does this shit happen? Where do I start. This year’s Life and Times of Bandit will be completely wild. A year and a half ago I bought an 1800s building on Main Street in Sturgis from an old friend, Richard Lester. This building was rented by the Hells Angels every year for 40 years and they wanted to buy in, but their investor didn’t come through.
I told the bros I’m going to put my old shit in the building and the Redhead went to work. I touched base with a good friend Danial James. He offered to rent a space. I said, “Put your art everywhere,” and he did. His art kicked off an amazing partnership as you will see.
Never operating a retail establishment, let alone during the rally, we hit it. We filled it with Danial’s art, my books, Hal Robinson T-shirts, some 5-Ball stuff, antiques, motorcycles, you name it. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing, but we did it.
Then this year rolled around, and I started working with the Museum and with Easyriders to bring the Streamliner to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. A slow process included communicating with Joe and Ellen Teresi regarding the historic Streamliner.
The 84th rally came around, my grandson rode out and the Flea took pictures of his Panhead. Months passed and I received a copy of the magazine. Joe passed away and I discovered the iconic magazine faced several issues.
I tried to help and hook Easyriders to a viable publisher who could handle the job and make Easyriders strong again. For months I tried and then discovered the magazine that meant so much to so many might close its doors. Couldn’t have it and I stepped into the ring.
Everyone in the industry wanted to help, and I had an old building on Main Street in Sturgis. What could be a better homebase. Danial James stepped up and brought his brushes and easels. Shit started to fall in place.
Bikernet readers will be smack dab in the middle of the operation, and I started a South Dakota corporation called Easyriders Inc. Famous writers, photographers and artist reached out. Together with our readers and bike builders we will rock the world once more. Hang on.
Check the end of the news for some Surprising developments.
Let’s hit the news
The News was provided by the Bikernet Team including: Wayfarer, the Redhead, Bob T. Sam Burns, Rogue, Laura, Barry Green, El Waggs, J.J. Solari, Amy White, Jenn and the rest of the crew.
The Bikernet Weekly News is sponsored in part by companies who also dig Freedom including: Cycle Source Magazine, the MRF, Iron Trader News, ChopperTown, BorntoRide.com and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.
LACONIA’S NEW MAYOR-– State Rep. Charlie St. Clair appointed interim mayor
Motorcycle Week executive director will lead city council until January
GABRIEL PERRY, The Laconia Daily Sun
State Rep. Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia) is the city’s new mayor.
He’ll preside over the next city council meeting, his first in the position, at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, at City Hall downtown, and will serve until a new mayor is popularly elected in November and takes office in January.
“I feel fully confident that he can run the council meetings and will do an excellent job,” Mayor Pro tem Mark Haynes (Ward 4) said.
The vote was unanimous.
“I am humbled,” St. Clair said. “Thank you very much.”
St. Clair was chosen Thursday evening by city councilors over one other applicant, Matthew “Matty” Andrew Thomas, following brief interviews with both candidates.
St. Clair, who owns a business in downtown Laconia and serves as the chair of the city’s Planning Board, as well as organizing Laconia Motorcycle Week, will be tasked with running council meetings over a period of about four months, or eight meetings.
Here is that article on Charlie St Clare as the interim mayor. Nobody fights for biker rights more than him (well, maybe you) and he has been the executive director of the Laconia rally for decades. Michael Lichter
The mayor’s job is strictly limited, according to the city charter, to breaking ties among councilors if a vote is deadlocked. Other than that, it’s purely ceremonial — they typically act as a spokesperson for the city, and attend formal events like ribbon cuttings.
CO2 CLIMATE NARRATIVE DESTROYED– in Four Charts
The entire man-made global warming argument is built around one central theme: Increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) is leading to warming that is unusual and unprecedented. This warming will then be accompanied by a multitude of disastrous climate crises.
Is that the case? Below are four charts that contradict the claim that CO2 is driving warming. This information was gleaned from the recently published A Very Convenient Warming.
33 Years of Cooling
Just as human CO2 emissions began ramping up in the mid-20th century, our planet went into a 33-year decline in temperature that led many in the late 1970s to predict that we were entering a new ice advance.
More Than 300 Years of Warming
Our current warming trend began in the late 17th century and lifted the planet out of the coldest period in the last 10,000 years (Little Ice Age). The first nearly 250 years of warming occurred at near-historic low levels of CO2 and extremely low human emissions.
1,000 Years of CO2 NOT Driving Warming
There have been nine previous warming periods over the last 10,000 years, all have been warmer than today and all occurred at very low concentrations of CO2.
8,000 Years of increasing CO2 and Falling Temperature
The warmest temperatures of the last 100,000 years were during the Holocene Optimum (8,000 years before present). Temperatures have since been cooling, albeit in fits and starts.
BIKERNET GUN NUT REPORT–
It’s 2:17 AM.
The sound of shattering glass jars you awake.
Your heart hammers in your ears.
Footsteps. Heavy. Inside your home.
You grab your firearm…
Step toward the bedroom door…
Slowly open it.
A shadow lunges.
You press the trigger.
The police arrive.
You cooperate fully.
You expect them to thank you.
Maybe even say, “Nice work!”
Instead…
You’re in the back of the squad car, headed downtown.
“Department policy,” they tell you, almost apologetically.
Soon after… the prosecutor decides to press charges…
Against you.
Now here’s the part most gun owners don’t understand until it’s too late:
Every single act of self-defense contains at least one thread the prosecutor can pull (if they really want to).
Maybe the intruder was unarmed.
Maybe your concealed carry permit lapsed by 10 days.
Maybe your ammo – the stuff you’ve always used – is now restricted under a new law.
Or maybe…
That “criminal” turned out to be a confused, intoxicated neighbor.
Who didn’t survive.
As the saying goes…
The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.
And you’re grist for the mill.
In a fight that can rob you of everything you’ve worked so hard for…
It’s so easy to get cynical.
To lose friends…
Family…
A marriage…
As years of stress turn you into a person you’d barely recognize now.
USCCA Members don’t leave any of this to chance.
They’re prepared for the before, during, AND after a self-defense incident – because they have access to education, training, and self-defense liability insurance⁰:
Turn your home into a Fort Knox – to keep danger out
De-escalation tactics – in a life-or-death encounter
Life-saving marksmanship and decision-making skills – to stop a threat without overreacting
Legal guidance from real defense attorneys – so you know exactly what to say to authorities (and what NOT to)
Critical Response Team – available 24/7/365 to walk you through the aftermath of a self-defense incident
Legal fees for covered acts of self-defense? $0. Plus, access top pro-2A legal attorneys
Up to $2,000,000 in liability protection – so if the intruder’s family sues, they won’t take everything you’ve worked for
No other organization I’m aware of can give you this kind of confidence.
That’s why I’ve made joining simple. And why I take on all the risk:
Activate a USCCA membership in 2 minutes
Get a special bonus package with up to $204.95 in free tactical gifts if you join in the next 2 days
Take 30 days to explore every benefit – keep all your free gifts if you decide to cancel
Join the USCCA 100% Risk-Free Now.
Take care and stay safe,
Tim’s Signature
Tim Schmidt
USCCA Chairman & Co-Founder
1-855-388-4075 [24/7]
“This story is absolutely true. Read it a couple of times. It could happen and did to a friend of mine. Two years later, he’s still fighting. He won’t give in or take a plea deal.“
–Bandit
EASYRIDERS MAGAZINE– Acquired by Former Editor Keith Randall Ball
Brand HQ to Move to Main Street in Sturgis
Former Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director Keith R. Ball has acquired Easyriders Magazine, the legendary voice of biker culture, and plans to bring the iconic publication back to prominence in the motorcycle riding community. On Saturday, September 20, Ellen Teresi, widow of publisher Joe Teresi, signed over the magazine’s rights, trademarks, and archives to Ball in a moving ceremony at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.
For decades, Easyriders Magazine defined the freedom, rebellion, and outlaw spirit of the open road. In recent years, the magazine struggled through publishing shifts before being reclaimed by Joe Teresi, who passed away in April of this year.
Ball, an accomplished writer, editor, builder, Bonneville racer, and author, intends to reestablish Easyriders as the definitive voice of custom motorcycling. He is also the owner and publisher of Bandit’s Bikernet (www.bikernet.com), a news and entertainment site for 29 years, targeting the biker audience.
“Easyriders connected the world to the biker lifestyle for hundreds of thousands of readers,” said Ball. “It created admiration for custom-built motorcycles and brought the craft of bike building into the homes and shops of riders everywhere.”
The new headquarters now stand on historic Main Street in downtown Sturgis, SD, near the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. Ball, a longtime officer and committee chairman, continues to serve, volunteer, and reside on numerous Sturgis Museum boards and committees.
Ball previously worked with Ellen Teresi and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum to deliver the Easyriders Streamliner—forever the fastest Harley-Davidson on the planet—to the Museum. The signing ceremony for the transfer of ownership featured a historic gathering of Streamliner crew members, past Easyriders staff, museum board members, and local riders celebrating both the Streamliner legacy and its new exhibit.
“In recent years, the audience changed, and the print magazine business faced the impact of the internet and digital technology,” Ball continued. “We’ll embrace today’s riders while celebrating the past—delivering spectacular content in print, online, and on YouTube for those who love freedom, getting their hands dirty, and chasing the adventure of the open road.”
The Easyriders brand is more than a magazine. Ball intends to relaunch the brand as a global lifestyle powerhouse through publishing, merchandise, licensing, events, partnerships, and immersive experiences for riders around the world.
About Easyriders Magazine
Founded in 1970, Easyriders Magazine became the most influential motorcycle lifestyle publication in the world, blending bold storytelling, iconic photography, and biker culture. Today, under the leadership of Keith Randall Ball, the brand is resurrected as a multi-platform lifestyle enterprise—connecting past and present while building the future of motorcycle culture worldwide.
IMG LICENSING ANNOUNCES– Global Licensing Partnership with Harley-Davidson
IMG Licensing has announced an exclusive global partnership with American motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson to serve as its licensing agency and develop a wide-ranging program of products and experiences that reflect the brand’s ambition as the most desirable motorcycle and lifestyle brand in the world.
Under the new multi-year agreement, IMG Licensing will help drive the development of authentic products and experiences that reflect the brand’s iconic status. While Harley-Davidson currently offers premium lines of riding gear, boots and other lifestyle products through its direct channels, IMG Licensing will be tasked with elevating this program to new heights. This will include expanding the product portfolio and fostering strategic collaborations. The agency will also focus on international growth and cultivating experiential partnerships to further enhance the brand’s reach and impact.
“Even the term ‘iconic’ does not do justice to the rarified position Harley-Davidson enjoys in the American cultural landscape and popular imagination,” says Bruno Maglione, president, IMG Licensing. “The bar and shield logo, words like ‘Hog’ and models such as Electra Glide are all symbols of a particular craftsmanship and creed, one celebrated in movies and pop culture for decades, that inspires people of all ages around the world.”
“This rich brand identity, combined with IMG Licensing’s unparalleled expertise and global network provides the perfect launchpad to develop products and experiences that evoke these same values of self-expression and adventure.”
BIKERNET BOOK OF THE WEEK CLUB–Thanks to Larry Berg, I became aware of her book ( Elspeth Beard, LONE RIDER, The First British Women to Motorcycle Around The World) and bought it this year
In 1982, 23-year-old architecture student Elspeth Beard got on a secondhand BMW R60/6 and rode off into history.
No sponsors.
No GPS.
No social media hype.
Just grit, maps, and stubborn courage.
Over two years she rode 35,000+ miles across 4 continents — through deserts, mountains, crashes, thefts, and breakdowns. She fixed her bike on the roadside, worked odd jobs in Sydney to fund the ride, and kept going when most would have quit.
In 1984, she rolled back into London as the first Englishwoman to ride solo around the world on a motorcycle.
Elspeth didn’t just travel — she rewrote what was possible.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s doing it anyway.
#Trailblazer #womenwhoride #biker #bikerdad
“Great book containing a terrific story.” –Bandit
HOW TO END THE– “100% renewable” fraud
An FTC rule called the “Green Guides” lets Apple, Google, Meta and hundreds of other companies claim be “100% renewable” while using mostly fossil fuel electricity.
Apple, Google, Meta and hundreds of other companies claim be “100% renewable” while using mostly fossil fuel electricity.
How is this possible?
Because an FTC rule called the “Green Guides” lets them buy so-called “credits” to count others’ solar and wind use as their own.
No significant US company is close to being “100% renewable,” since all such companies rely on the mostly fossil fuel electricity grid.
But in 2012, the Obama FTC rewrote a guidance document called the “Green Guides” to let companies falsely claim to be “100% renewable” anyway.
The FTC has published the “Green Guides” since 1992 to specify what constitutes deceptive environmental marketing claims under The FTC Act.
In particular the Green Guides specify when it is misleading—and therefore illegal—to claim to use a given amount of “renewable” energy.
Under the Obama FTC’s update of the Green Guides, companies are allowed to claim they are powered by any percentage “renewable” energy they wish, if they purchase enough “renewable energy certificates” (RECs) to “match” their non-renewable electricity use.
RECs are claims to credit for “renewable” electricity that someone else is using.
For example, if Apple actually consumes 15% of its electricity from “renewable” sources and 50% from fossil fuel sources, it can spend a lot of money on RECs and then claim to be 65% “renewable.”
Buying RECs not only gives a company false credit for others’ “renewable” use, it also gives others false blame for a company’s fossil fuel use.
When Apple buys RECs, it foists the blame for Apple’s fossil fuel use onto ratepayers and less wealthy (or less dishonest) companies.
In practice, the Obama Green Guides have enabled hundreds of companies to falsely and absurdly claim to be “100% renewable” while running mostly on fossil fuels—and foist the blame for their fossil fuel usage onto citizens and other companies.
–Alex Epstein
EASYRIDERS DIGITAL SUBS–The Best Deal in Town!
Why is the Easyriders digital edition the best deal? Here’s the scoop: Easyriders magazine is about to go through a sizzling transformation under the guidance of Keith “Bandit” Ball. You’ll witness every page-turning event through your Digital Subscription.
Encounter new art, new columns, the latest in the chopper industry, all surrounded by the old school Easyriders classic style. Subscribe now and support the righteous resurgence of this iconic brand.
Get all the killer content of Easyriders at HALF THE PRICE of holding the print magazine in your hand. It’s just $33 for an entire year of America’s best biker rag. Visit www.easyriders.com and subscribe to the Digital Edition today!
THE BONNE BELLE RETURNS TO THE SALT—New from Departure Bike Works.
Brian reported in and sent me some shots of the lowerend turning smooth as glass with Timken bearings on the left and race cams on the right. Progress.
–Departure Bike Works
EASYRIDERS MEETS THE BIKERNET MANTRA—As a kid I experienced the editorial offices of a famous Magazine. Partiallly outdoors the facilities were pure creative and fun. Always my vision, and under Lou Kimzey Easyriders we moved to an old Tennis ranch in the Malibu Hills. He held the same dream.
Now, we’re in the Black Hills of South Dakota and in an historic old building on Main Street. We’re riding the hills. Felicia cruises the coast and Michael Lichter covers every happening event in the world. Hell, Jack McIntyre is a partner in a Chopper Shop. But the mantra flys at the heart of motorcycling everywhere.
When I kicked this off this morning I rolled with it, but now I’m changing direction. Still, I want to discuss the magazine some. First, we’re going to save Easyriders Magazine for about a thousand reasons. We all think about this from a different perspective, but bottom line is freedom. Bikers represent freedom of expression in a big way. I don’t care if it’s the freedom to party all night or the freedom to build any fucking motorcycle you want.
As runts we grappled with low self-esteem, but we didn’t give a shit. Every night contained an adventure, splitting lanes, chasing broads and ripping across town to the next party. We knew every dark night could be the last. We grew up, and some settled down, but the code still remained.
You get it. Fed up with the regular business crap I ducked into the shop to mess with the Chopper King Bike. I sliced and diced the frame, welded, make clearance for the engine and the frame. And today I fucked with organizational stuff regarding the ER merger, but I was dying to ride. I had a brother who needed help with vertigo in Sturgis.
Am I making any sense? Screw it. Who cares, we got shit to do. We’ve got a country to save, the brand we love to save and goddammit, with your help we are going to make Easyriders Magazine great again. And Easyriders magazine, Youtube, Biketnet.com, website, social media, podcasts and our Easyriders archives are going to fight for you and freedom every fuckin’ day.
Ride fast and free forever,
–Bandit
