US Government drives stake through heart of Bike Business

How would you feel if you were forced to give all your food and housing and savings to someone else who had less and watched those others get fat while your own family sat starving as you are also told that now that same family needs a job so you are forced to give up yours to help them out?

I was curious about the Schwinn, Huffy, Murray and other US bicycle manufacturers to see where they are built. It pissed me off to find that our own Government Courts ruled that that cheap Chinese imports were no material threat to American bicycle mfg's thusly putting thousands of workers out of jobs. These same bicycle mfgs provided jobs for suppliers, trucking & transportation, chain makers, bicycle shops, tire mfgs and more. This is what out sourcing for cheap labor has done to our country and our own Gov'ment and corporations have sold us out down the river.

All those so called "jobs creations" and "putting people to work" is true, it's just that they don't tell you the truth about where those jobs are and who is getting them and it's not on our soil or even Americans. So how do you feel now about giving a helping hand when it is actually the hand they want and not you.

Here is the link about the demise of American bicycle jobs and where they actually come from now, and these companies had helped defend and build America back up before and after the great wars. That's a fine thank you with a dagger in the heart of America isn't it!

 http://www.socalbicycles.com/BikeHistory.htm

UnEmployed and Temp Workers

There are so many people unemployed and then there are others working for temp agencies, I wonder, why couldn't both of these groups start their own business as temp employees. I mean, they do the work, they know the jobs so why should they, and not the Temp Agencies, profit from the hard work. A business license just isn't that much and these groups of people who have the same talents in their perspective lines of work could get together and form their own companies.  In other words they would be the owners of their own Temp Services and reap the profits themselves instead of working for lower wages while the Temp Agencies profit from their sweat.

More and more companies are taking advantage of employees. They have cut their work force in half and ramped up production on the remaining workers which means longer work days and weeks. They are using the old ways of forty and fifty years ago of threats of job loss because there is a large pool of unemployed workers waiting to take their places. They will replace these worn out, burned out workers with new ones who will be paid even less and work even longer hours. These longer hours and days lead to health problems as companies expect people to work as fast or faster than the equipment and machines they operate with no regard for the workers who keep them in business. Even machines overheat, break down, need a cooling off period and just plain wear out if run hard for hours on end and to expect human beings to toil like this is just asking for trouble down the line. Word gets around and OSHA doesn't help and they even call ahead to let companies know they are coming.
American workers work longer hours and more weeks than almost any other country in the world. Companies are paying less and less for more and more work. Companies need to look back to the past and Ford Motor Company when Henry Ford gave his workers all pay raises and reduced their hours which is how three shifts came about. The other big auto makers of the day scoffed at Mr. Ford until by years end they saw that Fords work force had less accidents, moral was way up, production was even higher and the profits were climbing higher and higher. That my friend is when other industries saw the light that taking care of employees came back to the companies bottom line. Happy rested employees made for success in business with better quality and workers and owners working towards the same goals. Mr. Ford knew that his employees could make or break his company and also that his own employees would also be owners of the same products they built on the assembly lines. It just stands to reason that employees treated like people and not throw away replace able discards makes for a growing productive work force.  

Puckerd Bottom Ride

Actually this is called the © Blistered Bottom ride and it takes place June 28th, 29th and 30th, an oxymoron of sorts but after our ride this year we may just be calling it the ©"Puckered Bottom Ride."
We'll be leaving from Burlington NC and riding to the Bear Claw Holler Motorcycle resort in Damascus VA. The road is known as the Mighty Python and after you've ridden it's 31 miles with 318 curves you'll know why.
http://www.cyclefish.com/forum/Bikers039-Topics/Ride-Stories/The-Mighty-Python-96062-1.html

Come ride with us. We'll spend two nights at the Bear Claw and  riders can come and go as they wish to ride the exceptional roads in the area. Cathy and Ronald Reagan are great hosts and there is food available and a motorcycle shop on property.

 

BillBoards for Motorcycle awareness

I was wondering why we riders, motorcycle dealers and indie Motorcycle shops don't pool together in our respective areas and buy bill board space. The cost split up would cost us each very little I'd suspect and go a very long way with in your face ads for motorcycle awareness along the roads. It might even help businesses who co-sponsor a sign near them whilst making automobile drivers more conscious of riders on the road.
With travel vacation days coming soon there could even be billboards that kids play the spotting game like when we all played to see how many colors of VW's or cows etc we saw in a given time on the trip. Put up one billboard for kids to start counting motorcycles and who ever had the most by the next sign along the Hiway won. Many ideas could be implemented here and motorcycle awareness would be doubled or tripled.


Check out this link below for Louisiana

http://macorg.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=59&Itemid=2

RatBike Harley whoops on Honda CBR1000...3 times

http://youtu.be/vjFeC7g6_40

Washing the Bike with rain, the Mother Nature way

After a sixty hour week I was ready to get out. Pollen, dust, general dirt, and spilt fuel were covering Rat Bastard. I don't spend a lot of time anymore cleaning my bike, though Pledge wipes do a great job on the painted surfaces and WD-40 is good for the cables plus will make those cylinder jugs shine up nice. Wax just now and then if I'm feeling like it but mostly just a once a year ordeal. Usually my time with it is spent wrenching, ogling or riding as all that polishing is so time consuming because I'll plan on doing just one or two little hits with a rag to knock off the light stuff - sometimes one little wipe leads to another piece and then another part and before you know it the day is gone. The best way to clean it up is to just plain old wait for the rain and ride to clean it. The under fenders get a good scrubbing from the rain being thrown at it as the tires pick it up and sling in there good. It's a cheap sort of pressure washing, plus the sand and dirt from the road give scouring power as it mixes around and the wash cycle is controlled by the throttle. By the time I got home old Rat Bastard was pretty durned clean and looking pretty good. You'll never hear me proclaim proudly to anyone that Rat Bastard has never been ridden in the rain. As if proclaiming that is something to be proud of because if you don't ride in the rain then your cutting your ride days by maybe a third.

It was raining today and I had places I wanted to go but my trucks original clutch has gone out after only 303,104. something miles. I geared up in my new Tourmaster jacket without fear of being drowned or not being seen. It kept me warm and dry which is something I've never experienced riding in the rain before. Even used my almost still new now full faced helmet without the added hassle of rain pelting my face like stinging BB's or my goggles fogging up each time I stopped. 

I could use some water proof pants- wet from the knees down - and boots - soaked as the water proofing has worn off - but being most of me was warm and comfy it was not bad. Years ago I'd ride all year long in rain, sun, snow, sleet with little more than gloves, helmet, mirrored sun glasses, jeans and a leather or lined denim jacket plus Dingo boots. Getting cold and wet was just a part of riding in those days along with the runny nose and dealing with watery eyes as air whipped behind the glasses and kept drying my eyes out. My eyes kept trying to combat the drying air that was whipping the moisture away.

But the point of my rambling is that mother nature lent a hand in washing Rat Bastard today being that she found out I was going to ride anyway just for spite. Maybe she just wanted to ride too and so she washed the bike not wanting to see it all dirty and nasty. But I like it dirty and nasty though sometimes a compromise is in order. Never ride in the rain? Pfft, what wussies.   
  

Cool Places To Park a Motorcycle

Gary France - fliesinyourteeth http//:garysusatour.blogspot.com  is having a friendly competition with your bike parked in a cool spot.
This is my bike parked in front of the McCray one room school house that is completely furnished still. Both the school and motorcycle are old but still teach great lessons. This seems to be my fav pic of my bike for some time now and sometimes I just sit and look at it.