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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Just Another Random Lost Soul

ANOTHER STORY FROM CHUCK,
The Alpha Biker, Preacher Chuck D.
It all starts with a planned trip down to the Outer Banks Bike Week to hook-up with my buds from Outkasst Cycles outta Richmond. I leave New England mid-afternoon on a Wednesday… hook up with my buddy Tony in NYC… and wait “patiently” as he packs his shit… so we can knock out a couple 100 miles so we have a light ride into Nags Head the following day.

Well, I am hanging out in his garage while he collects his stuff inside. Now, the header wrap on my pipes disintegrated on the way back from Daytona this year and I was debating on wrapping them again, painting them, or maybe just polishing the headers a bit (they looked like hell once the wrap fell off). I spy a box of S.O.S. pads on a shelf in his garage… this is a very important point. My bike is all the way at the end of his driveway… at least 20 feet away. I think… hey… I’ll grab a couple of these S.O.S. pads and hand them to the girls at the bikini bike wash to see what they can do with the pipes. I don’t want to walk all the way down to my bike… so I pop open one of the hard bags on Tony’s Road King and toss a couple of pads in. Again, this is a key element of the story.

He emerges from his house and loads up his bike. It is now 10pm… our plan now is to hit Atlantic City around midnight… leave half of our wallets… sleep a few hours… and make it to the ferry at the south tip of New Jersey in the morning… be transported to Delaware… and hit the Outer Banks early the next evening.

On the way down he tells me… “Alright dude… let me lead on the Garden State Parkway. My lights work better than yours… and we will see a lot of deer”. Right… got it… lots of f&*kin’ dear in New Jersey… whatever… are we gonna f*&k around all night… or are we gonna ride?

Welllllllllll… I lost track at 15… yes 15+ herds… yes… f*&kin’ herds… of deer. Not in the woods on the side of the road… but grazing in the f*&kin’ breakdown lane… yes.. I said… f*&kin’ breakdown lane. Now… when Tony rolls up on them… they don’t pay too much attention… but when I roll out of the throttle (running 10.5:1 compression with Bassani Pro-Streets sans baffles)… these f&*kers spook baaaaaad. Tony and I “discuss” my choice of performance products upon arriving in Atlantic City.

Now we secure a room for $17.50 a piece… whattadeal!… and head off to the casinos. I’m not much of a gambler… so I follow Tony to the craps table as he instructs me on the “finer” points of the game. We are not there five minutes when all of a sudden we here a loud crack off to our left. Some dude had hit the deck and smashed his head on the edge of one of the black jack tables. He is f&*kin’ laid ouuuuuttttttt. One of the pit bosses makes a call… and then everyone returns back to the games at hand. Not a single person moves to check on this dude. He is bleeding from the head… and for all we know he has had a heart attack… and may be dead. I gather up Tony’s chips for him as he heads over to see what’s up. We keep the dude company ’til 10 minutes later security and paramedics show up. I swear… nobody else moved or even looked our way. Wow. It turns out, this guys was hammered and just “lost his balance”… doh! Anyway… the paramedics take him away and we wish him luck. Unfortunately… none of these actions helped our karma… and the casino proceeded to “give us a bath”.

We get back to the hotel around 5am… sleep for an hour… shower… and head off to the ferry. By the time we get to the ferry… we are a little punchy. We pull to the front of the line… and wait to be told when to load up. While we are waiting… Tony decides to look through his saddlebags for something. That’s when I here… “WHAT THE F*&CK IS ALL OF THIS F*&CKIN’ BLUE SHIT ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF MY BAG… WHY IS THERE A F*&CKIN’ S.O.S. PAD IN MY F*&CKIN’ SADDLEBAG!”… that’s when the realization hits me… you see… S.O.S. pads are impregnated with a dry soap that foams up when they get wet… or falls off as powder when rattling around loose in a saddlebag for 200 miles. I am bent over laughing so hard at this point that I am crying. Tony is way pissed… and is about to administer an S.O.S. enema to yours truly. As all of this unfolds… up rolls behind us some dude on a VTX… enter Pete.

Pete dismounts… looks over at us… says hey… and heads off to the restrooms shaking his head obviously wondering… who are these f*&kin’ jackasses.

We finally get to roll onto the ferry. Tony is still pissed about the shear audacity his riding buddy has to A) touch his f*&kin’ bike… and B) f*&k up his shit. He finds a bench and tries to garner another hour of sleep. I head up to the top deck outdoors to enjoy the scenery… because if I stop movin’… I’m going to stop movin’. I bump into Pete. We shoot the shit for a bit and I explain to him what he witnessed back on the dock. This guy is a helluva interesting dude. He just started riding a couple of years ago at the young age of 65. He figured that a VTX 1800 would be a good way to learn… LOL… I’m not going to mention the assortment of “reattached parts” on this bike… oh wait… I just did… sorry Pete! LOL! Anyway, this guy rides year round and visits his family in the North East regularly on the bike. Which wouldn’t be that big a deal… if he didn’t live in f*&kin’ Florida!

Pete was on his way back to Florida. I suggest Vertigo Tattoo and the Outer Banks Bike Week as a viable stop on his way south. He agrees and rides and hangs with us the whole weekend. While a new rider, Pete does well in a group… thankfully… because Tony would have kicked my ass for inviting him if he didn’t!

It is great to meet people who can draw upon similar life experiences… share them with other like-minded lost souls… over a gas stop… 400 miles into the ride… or a draft beer at a bike event near closing time. For some reason those thoughts and interactions just simply take on more meaning in these settings. While I am not going to go through all of the “poorly thought out life decisions” that lead to those conversations… let’s just say… I am glad to have them.

Pete knocked out the 500 miles in a day a couple of weeks later to meet us in Myrtle and is now “pot committed” as they say in Texas Holdem’. Glad to have you around Pete!

Vermont Motorcycle Noise Law Kick-Starts Loud Pipes Discussion

OFF THE WIRE
Biker Rights Issues
Representative Dave Sharpe, of Bristol, has proposed a motorcycle noise ordinance that he hopes will start conversation about how to prevent loud motorcycles from annoying residents of his district.
The proposal H.0733, which is currently in the Transportation Committee, sets an 80 decibels maximum noise level and prohibits removing, bypassing or modifying exhaust in a manner that causes the motorcycle to exceed the limit. The bill also requires sellers of replacement exhaust systems to include specifications on the noise level emitted by systems.
Sharpe said that complaints about loud motorcycles from Bristol residents – especially those who live on VT-17 –motivated him to sponsor the bill. “It’s unfortunate when a few impinge upon the enjoyment of other residents”, Sharpe said.
“I hope a little self-regulation might go further than having the State come in and pass laws”, Sharpe said. “This puts it out there on the table. I hope this is a conversation starter.”
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York have noise laws and Maine is working on a proposal. The noise level and method of measurement varies considerably among states.
“We’re seeing a lot of one-offs [laws] based on the Federal pass-by test”, said Mike Richards, Manager of Government Affairs for Harley Davidson in Milwaukee, WI.
The federal pass-by test requires that the motorcycle be ridden at an exact speed through a “trap” where the decibel level is measured. The test is difficult for law enforcement to properly administer on the roadside and is influenced by factors in the test environment, such as street noise and buildings.
The current Vermont proposal is based on the Federal pass-by test, as are the Massachusetts and New York laws.
The Massachusetts level is 82 decibels for motorcycles traveling at less than 45 Mph, when measured from 50 feet and 86 decibels for motorcycles traveling at greater than 45 Mph. In New York, the level is 82 decibels at 35 Mph and 86 decibels over 35 Mph.
Richards said that Harley Davidson, along with the AMA and Motorcycle Industry Council would like to see states base their laws on a test developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The SAE test measures the noise level from the rear. The meter is placed 20 inches behind the tailpipe, at a 45 degree angle, and the motorcycle is run at idle.
The New Hampshire law measures the noise level as specified by the SAE, but the maximum sound level is 106 decibels.The Federal level is 80 decibels.
“We’re concerned about how a rider knows they are in compliance”, said Richards. Harley Davidson manufactures all of their bikes to be within the Federal noise level of 80 decibels, but an improperly administered test could indicate that a bike exceeds the level, Richards said.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a professional certification association for speech-language pathologists, audiologists and hearing scientists, states that a noise level of 80 decibels is about the same as an alarm clock or a busy street. A lawnmower, shop tools and truck traffic generate approximately 90 decibels. Sound greater than 80 decibels can cause hearing loss if the duration of exposure is long enough.
The bill is currently just a proposal. It will need six votes from the eleven member Transportation Committee before moving forward. It may also require a stop in the House Ways and Means Committee to determine a fine before moving to the House and Senate for votes and then to the governor for signature. Sharpe said that he felt passage would be unlikely during this legislative session.
“If there is a better way to solve this issue, then I’m all for it”, Sharpe said.
Original article...
http://motorcycle-vermont.com/front-page-feature/vermont-motorcycle-noise-law-kick-starts-loud-pipes-discussion/

Sparked by an Outlaw’s Chopper

Off the Wire News
It was 1967 when Merlin Allen, of Spanish Fork, then a young boy of 8 living in Glenrock, Wyo., caught his first glimpses of the outlaw motorcycle life at his cousin's home one night.
Friends of his uncle were smuggling a member of their gang out of Casper as he fled the authorities and had stopped the night at the family home.
"'Check this out, Bob Goober's chopper is in the back,'" Allen remembered his cousin saying as the boys climbed up to look at the outlaw's ride, concealed in a high-sided trailer.
"We jumped up on the fender and I looked over and that thing was just glistening chrome and yellow and green metal flake," Allen said. "The thing was just gorgeous, and I think I stopped breathing."
It was love at first sight. Over the next 35 years, Allen continued his love affair with motorcycles, mainly American-made V-twins like Harley Davidson, Indian and Excelsior. He rode, repaired and studied the machines, becoming an encyclopedia of motorcycle knowledge and a skilled mechanic now working at Legends Vintage Motorcycles in Springville. Allen's self education started at an early age soon after seeing the outlaw's chopper.
"There was probably half a dozen of us kids in the town that started chopping up our bicycles," said Allen, who admits, with a smile, that he ruined the new Sting Ray bicycle his father had bought him. Allen and his friends found extra parts and had their bikes cut, welded and adjusted to their liking. In his teenage years Allen began work on motorcycles, eventually building and customizing his very own chopper.
For three years he lived the outlaw lifestyle on the back of a bike, riding through the west and, "basically bounced around and was just a bum," as Allen puts it. It was fun but a tough way to live, a lifestyle that an older and wiser Allen is happy to put behind him.
"I don't think I'll ever go back to the outlaw lifestyle because physically I don't think I can handle it," he said. But Allen understands why many still do it, and he understands their passion for life on a motorcycle. For a while he tried to give it up completely, tried to see what life was like on the "other side," as he put it.
"Always seeing the three-piece suit guys driving the nice cars and smelling good, how am I going to know what it's like if I don't experience it?"
Motivated by the desire to provide more for his wife and children, Allen gave up the lifestyle he'd loved so much, gave away all his bikes and started selling life insurance.
"I'm going to be a business man and I'm going to live the clean life," Allen said.
But it just wasn't meant to be.
"That was the worst time of my life," he said.
With a clean cut, cleanly shaven and a suit covering his many tattoos, Allen looked into the mirror and didn't like what he saw.
"I was like, 'Who am I kidding? I'm just as phony as the phony bastards that are out there trying to act and be somebody they're not,' " Allen said.
Friends were happy to return his motorcycles and Allen returned to doing what he loved.
"I like taking [bikes] that are totally scattered and are ready for the dump, and I like to resurrect them," Allen said. "It makes me feel like I've accomplished something."
For years, Allen has enjoyed getting to know the many riders he's helped fix motorcycles for, as well as the bikes they ride.
Nobody lives forever. But the bikes get passed on, and eventually someone brings one back for a fix and Allen recognizes it.
"You make friends with the new owner -- it's a never ending story," Allen said.
In 1998, Rick Salisbury, who bought a bike form Allen years earlier, was reintroduced to him and brought Allen on to work at Legends in Springville. Salisbury started the shop as an extension of his own growing hobby and love of vintage motorcycles, but Legends has grown to include custom designs and modifications.
"Allen likes the older, vintage bikes and he understands the mechanics of them better than anyone else I've known," Salisbury said. "He's a great mechanic in the old school bikes."
Rick Story, the general manager at Timpanogos Harley Davidson, agrees with Salisbury.
"He's one of the most knowledgeable mechanics I've met in 25 years of experience," said Story, who recognized Allen's tenacity and dedication to fixing any problem he's faced with in the shop.
With the combined skills of Allen and co-worker Steve Peterson, of Springville, the two work hard in maintaining Legends's extensive vintage collection, customizing new bikes and helping design and expand future projects.
"We call it [Salisbury's] sand box, but he's not playing in it right now. Me and Merlin get paid to play in it," Peterson said of Legends.
"But every once in a while he comes around and takes all our toys from us," Allen joked.
From the "mild to totally wild," as Allen puts it, the variety of work on bikes he loves keeps him happy. Looking back it may look like a restless life, moving from place to place and job to job, but one thing has remained constant -- that love of motorcycles sparked years ago by an outlaw's chopper.
Original article...
http://heraldextra.com/news/local/article_ae985953-3dd8-564a-a4c1-a2cdc987898a.html

Museum seeks donations of helmets

Off the Wire News
MASON CITY — The MacNider Art Museum is seeking donations of old motorcycle and scooter helmets for children to use during spring break art camp.

During the camp, which takes place from March 15-19, children in grades 1-6 will use silk flowers, sequins, beads, paint, rhinestones and other materials to turn the helmets into works of art.

Helmets can be dropped off at the MacNider Art Museum, Harley Davidson of Mason City, Mason City Honda, or Mason City Powersports through March 10.

Helmet donors may donate anonymously or leave their names with their helmets.

The finished art helmets, with the name of the donor if available and the artist, will be exhibited at several businesses in the community, and will be shown at the 2010 Mason City MotoFest on Saturday, Aug. 21, in downtown Central Park. The artists and donors will be invited to the event for a brief ceremony.

To register a child for the camp, call the museum at 641-421-3666, or by going to www.macniderart.org.

Original article...

http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2010/02/21/news/latest/doc4b80c5d6649a5365942536.txt#vmix_media_id=10827205

Toronto International Spring Motorcycle Show

OFF THE WIRE
Rally & Event News February, 2010- Spring means one thing to motorcyclists - taking the bike out of storage and getting ready to hit the road. Whether it's for commuting, weekend rides or plans for that big road trip there's a sense of purpose for riders once the snow melts. The Spring Show, presented by Mantha Insurance and taking place in April at the International Centre, is timed perfectly to provide a one-stop shopping opportunity for all motorcyclists just as the riding season is opening.

This year's Door Prize is a new Suzuki DR-Z125 motorcycle provided by Suzuki of Newmarket, to be drawn on stage, Sunday, April 11th at the Show. Admission to the Spring Motorcycle Show includes a complimentary copy of International Motorcycle Magazine and a half price admission coupon to the Classic Car Auction, happening next door in Hall 3.

The Toronto Spring Motorcycle Show runs Saturday, April 10th from 10am to 9pm, and Sunday, April 11th from 10am to 5pm. The International Centre is located at 6900 Airport Road. Admission is $15 for adults; $5 for youths under 12, free for children under 6, and parking is free. Visit http://www.supershowevents.com/

information.

Original article...

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2010/02/21/466591.html