Vietnam Memorial Wall Ride.

The meeting place for the ride tomorrow is the Welcome/Rest area IN North Carolina near Westinghouse/Arrowwood Rd. just over the border on North I77 heading out of SC.

It is NOT the one near the NC/VA line.

Tomorrow - Tuesday

On Tuesday, October 31 at 11:00 am there will be a flat bed trailer containing the moving Vietnam Memorial Wall pulling out of the NC Welcome/Rest center on I77 in NC. There is a request that any and all within this email reach and word of mouth meet at the welcome center to participate in the escorting of the wall to Sharon Memorial on the corner of Monroe and Sharon Amity.

This is to be police led. They are looking for any bikers that can help to come out and ride in with them. Please be there by 10:30 for staging if necessary. This request is not limited to just bikers. Cages are welcome also.

The wall will be at Sharon Memorial for a few days only.

If you can spare the time, come join us for a worthy ride in remembrance of all those on the wall and for those that were fortunate enough to NOT be inscribed on the wall!

Ride safe, have fun and enjoy life!

Steve Henning
Charlotte HOG Email Communicator
"Often imitated, NEVER duplicated"

This is from my ride captain, Mr. Bill Lowry, and I thought it noteworthy to share.

Respectfully,

Mr. Bill Lowry

NC State Captain

Patriot Guard Riders

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Abraham Lincoln

Think About This.... Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes. He stays up for days on end. _________________________ You take a warm shower to help you wake up. He goes days or weeks without running water. __________________________ You complain of a "headache", and call in sick. He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward. __________________________ You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends. He still fights for your right to wear that shirt. __________________________ You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket. He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags. __________________________ You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you. He knows he may not see some of his buddies again. __________________________ You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls. He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists. __________________________ You complain about how hot it is. He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow. __________________________ You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong. He doesn't get to eat today. __________________________ Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes. He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean. __________________________ You go to the mall and get your hair redone. He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today. __________________________ You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over. He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months. __________________________ You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight. He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home. __________________________ You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday. He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume. __________________________ You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet __________________________ You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything. He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting. __________________________ You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him. He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded. __________________________ You see only what the media wants you to see. He sees the broken bodies lying around him. __________________________ You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't. He does exactly what he is told. __________________________ You stay at home and watch TV. He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat. __________________________ You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable. He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by gunfire. __________________________ You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place because of men like him. If only there were more men like him! ____________________________ Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American G. I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!

Need Some Harley Parts? Panhead, Knucklehead, Flathead, Hummer, Sportster, Shovelhead, Evolution, TC88 and some vintage Indian Parts. From the minute O-ring to that vintage wire set.

Want to restore your Harley or just need some hard to find replacement parts? How about the specialty tools needed to work on them?
I have several catalogs to order parts but this one has to be the best one. I can't begin to tell you about all the parts they have for just about every Harley model made since 1915 to 2006. My new catalog for 2007 just arrived today and the format has been changed to make finding what you need for your year and model much easier. This thing is heavy and is loaded with parts in broken down chapters which is great considering there are 1380 pages of parts to look through. This catalog has a huge section devoted to just Sportser parts, 112pages to be exact, crammed with full color pictures and part numbers.
These people even carry complete replica Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead and components to build a Flathead. Hey! Looking for a flat side Shovel engine? No problem as they carry those too.
No Sportster engines though. Seems nobody carries complete replacement Sporty engines as I have searched far and wide but if you have the mechanical aptitude, there are all the parts to build one from the ground up.

Visit the website at www.Zoom4Parts.com . Might I suggest that if you are just needing a replacement part for your ride or an accessory that you log on and look it up. If you are building, rebuilding or looking for a host of small parts that you just go ahead and order the catalog. Lay into a case of beer as well because you'll be browsing this catalog like you did the Sears Christmas wish book of years ago.

Billy Lane Kills Gerry Morelock

Seems that Billy Lane, even after having his license and driving prevaledge taken in North Carolina, thought he could still drive drunk in Florida. Billy, driving his full sized Dodge Ram pickup, hit Gerry Morelock, who was riding his scooter, head on while passing three vehicles on a double yellow line. Mr Morelock was killed on impact from the truck on 09/04/06.

For more complete details and a photo of the wrecked Dodge Ram Billy was driving go here: http://www.mikeodom.name . Lets not forget who the victims in this pending case are. Several lives have been ruined by one person driving under the influence of alcohol

A Motorcycle Challenge for Kids?

This Should Be made Into a Movie.
I was reading an article about a seventeen year old who asked his father for a car for graduation. His father told him that if he wanted a car then he should go build one himself. Thing is, the kid went and did just that very thing. It took $300 and a couple of years to do it but he did it. I've seen the pictures of it and it looks pretty damned good. So good that I'd like to have it myself.
This thing has three wheels and is powered by an old four cylinder 1931 Indian Motorcycle engine. He scrounged up the parts from here and there and actually made the body himself out of sheet metal that he pounded into shape at his fathers radiator shop.
After completion, the kid, Bob, and his brother, Edward, took it on a trip of over six thousands miles.

That was back in the early 1930s and the kid was Bob Shotwell. Bob kept that car all these years and racked up over 150,000 miles on the car he called Philbert the puddle jumper. Bob had put on a few years himself and was worried that his one of a kind mechanical marvel would be lost and destroyed after his death. So Bob contacted Jay Leno and gave Philbert to him with the agreement that the car would be saved from those who may wish to scarf the Indian Engine from it and dismantle the car. ( I can't imagine anyone in their right mind who would do such a thing)
Jay agreed and spent two years restoring it, with very minor changes mainly for engine cooling purposes, and has been putting more miles on it. But, Jay seems to think that kids these days just don't have what it takes to create something like this. Kids are to busy with cell phones and computers and such it seems to do much on the creative level.
Mr. Leno may be right on his assumption but then again...maybe he's not. (See how I take both sides without actually taking sides? I've learned that from our leaders. lol).

In reality though, I believe that there are many kids out there who can pull something off like that even today. I just can't believe that in some city lot or country barn that there is not some kid building a motorcycle, mini bike or a go cart from scrounged up parts. All they need is a bit of encouragement and parents who'll not be telling them they are wasting their time or making to much clutter and noise.

(We) as parents can not put all the blame on the kids these days in this respect. We keep them so busy with what we think they should be doing and not listening enough to what they wish to be doing. No wonder some kids lash out in frustration and then get labeled as a problem child. We don't allow them room to grow but rather try and mold them into what it was we wanted them to be. To many kids into non constructive things lead to boredom.

If you know of a kid that is doing something along the creative lines like Bob, let me know and we'll do up an article on it for the local paper. There just has to be kids out there who are not glued to the television, computer, cell phone or game machine and are actually exploring and building their engineering talents. If the project is good enough, maybe we can convince old Jay to change his view point. Several years ago I had a couple of wide eyed excited kids come to my place looking for an engine for a go cart. I gave them a couple of old engines I had and enjoyed watching them hurry towards home to build their creation. Did they ever finish the project? I never knew but I was more than happy to help them try.
I have a couple more five horse power engines sitting around just waiting for another kid. And, I'd surely dig some seventeen year old kid building a chopper and letting me see it.

Read the article on Bobs car and view pictures here: www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/3475911.html

GarageChoppers

As many of you know, and just as many don't, I used to be on the staff over at GarageChoppers that was based out of Lakeland Florida. I was with them for two years or so doing motorcycle articles, stories and tid-bits. I remember doing the coverage of the "Liquid Steel" bike show with my friend and photographer/author Billy Jones who were given the assignment (see side bar). This show was in Concord NorthCarolina and was also the weekend that Indian Larry was killed while performing one of his stunts.
As a member of the media the show sent me; or should I say left me my press kit and badge at the will call window. There were supposed to be two Media Event Passes in the envelope for Billy and I. Well, there was only the one for me and not Billy. So I paid Billy's entry and off we went, talking to a few people while snapping pictures of interest to our readers. I know that I enjoyed the Perfect Angels performance as did Billy and the others watching those girls gyrate around on stage to Ted Nugents cat scratch fever. I'll never listen to that song with out their picture in my mind again. That's all I can count on as Billy's pictures of that particular event did not turn out so well. I kinda think Billy maybe forgot what he was doing and quit looking through the eye piece on the camera.

But the reason I'm writing this is because I miss the old crew down at the Garage. I long for the antics of the whip and spatula jokes, Madrocka and her coffee pot that never emptiedand her quick wit. The strange postings on the site about weird shit between the Rocka and I that only we understood and kept others wondering.
Our trippings, between Rocka and I, seemed to have a large following and people were always keeping tabs on what we might be up to next. She was mucho fun and kept things lively around the old Garage. Others began getting tuned into she and I and joined in on the fun and trying to figure the two of us out.

Zeps wit, humor and sometimes lashing tongue at those who wished to bash us and our beliefs, attitudes and his steadfastness to keeping talk and fondness of the old school bikes alive. He was our editor mentor and general slave driver. His no bullshit attitude seemed to piss some readers off but he knew his stuff and would not back down. Zep wasn't a bad guy if you knew him but like all of us had his moments. He was the man who created the whole thing in the first place and kept it all together and running. Mostly he sat back and let us do our thing, whatever that might be, at any given time. Many of times he was left shaking his head at our antics but the readers liked it and as long as it was fairly clean...he let us have our fun. The crew all just clicked and made the whole adventure and site a fun place to hang around.

There were others who came onboard the staff and left. One in particular gave many a bad opinion of us and the GarageChoppers mag. His issues took a huge amount of wind out of our sails from what he did to some of his motorcycle customers and it ultimately gave GC a black eye. He was the tech guy who did the how to articles on bike the building and answered readers questions about same.

Wolfie came on as the tech man for GarageChoppers and did a bang up job of things. He fit in quickly and it did not take him long at all to tune into Madrocka and I. It was beginning to be as if he had been with us for a long time.

I miss those people as it made for bright and fun days to be a writer. They were a fantastic group to work with and I miss them like friends miss friends. It's not often that a motley group like we were could be brought together to work so well and bring in the readers, keep them coming back for more, and looking forward to the next day.

Perhaps one day I'll be able to cover events and write again for another motorcycle media source. Did I mention that I miss it?

Later,
WooleyB

141.4 MPH Panhead and D and D Exhaust?

Valerie Thompson, riding the "Salt Shaker" Panhead motorcycle sponsored in part by Dave Rash and his company DandD Exhaust set a record of 141.4 mph on the salt flats. Click on the links below to read more;
http://www.danddexhaust.com/news/
http://www.womenridersnow.com

Paul Yaffee and Indian Larry

In the past I have sworn off the biker build off stuff as it did not seem to fit with what (I) thought a chopper is or should be. To me a chopper is built by beginning with a factory motorcycle and then modifying it. Chopping pieces and parts off to make it lighter or different looking.
Although I am partial to the older iron out there, I can no longer keep a blind eye to what the builders are doing these days, I'm coming around. Of course Indian Larry has/had always been the exception to my chopper thinking. Indian Larry knew how to build a new bike with new technologies and still being able to pull off the classic bare bones look of a chopped stocker with a tad of flash.
Tonight I was watching the newest build off that I have seen featuring Paul Yaffe and Dave Perewitz. In one of the segments Paul made known a piece of a conversation between he and Larry. Like myself, Larry loved the mechanical pieces and parts, the workings if you will, that make a motorcycle tick. Paul made reference to that kind of thinking that Indian Larry instilled in him and he has not forgotten the words. Looking at Pauls bike for this show you can plainly see how much the icon Larry affected this bike. It's evident in the beauty of the blending of both mens idea of a chopper in this one for sure. It's almost as if the two of them built it together melting old and new. A bit of Larrys style lives on in the motorcycle and fits well with Pauls newer ideas and innovation. The frame, Paint color with metal flake, tank ,seat and oilbag all look just like Larry did it himself and then passed it over to Paul for his touch.
It really is an awesome looking ride that breathes excitement.

After Daves bike breaks down Paul again reminds me of how Larry thought about the machines of other builders. I now have a much larger respect for Yaffe and his creations. Dave already had my respect because of his outlook even if not his motorcycle creation...this time.
It does not matter who won this one because both of them are fantastic artisans in their own right.

New choppers? Heh! I'm coming around to some of them.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD PLANE CRASH

Another anniversary of the plane crash and death of three members of the Skynyrd Band and their road manager as well as both pilots is upon us once again. The date was October,20th, 1977 when the plane left Greenville South Carolina and crashed in a remote section of Gillsburg Mississippi with twenty six people on board. If your a fan of the band like I am and you grew up listening to these guys perform before the crash then this should be of interest to you. I feel a bit of a connection to them as they used to visit and record at Studio One in Doraville Georgia. They recorded and remixed the 1973 Pronounced album there which was not to far from where I grew up. It is the same town that the Atlanta Rhythm Section (anyone remember them?) wrote their song "Doraville" about. "Doraville, country country in the city. Doraville, it ain't much but it's home..."
Oh the many big time artists that recorded there in that little out of the way studio by the railroad tracks. Nuthin Fancy for sure about the place. That's what made it such a great secret place to record.

I found an interview, with pictures of the plane; of Jacquelyn Cooper by Pat Adams. This is probably the best onsite account that I have ever read about this incident. It tells of how her aunt held one of the victims in her arms trying to comfort him without knowing who he was. All of the people who were really first on the scene and especially an account of Artimus Pyle's claim of going for help. If your a Skynyrd fan then you truly should read these first hand accounts by the resident of the area on what happened out there on that cool October evening that thrust many of us into disbelief. Read all about it here : http://www.tennesseeconcerts.com/lynyrdskynyrd.html and please respect the site and don't copy any of the pictures.

Later,
Wooleyb

Drinking When Young

I was an under aged drinker. But it's not as bad as it sounds. Things were different when I was a kid I guess, well, maybe about some things.

See, my pop would come home and have a drink every night after work. Not to get plastered but to unwind from work crap and then deal with home crap I guess. Usually it was just one drink of a mixed variety that mom would have ready for him or perhaps just a beer. Sometimes when I was eight or so I'd meet him at the door with the beer mom gave me for him. He'd come in and kick off his shoes, pour up the beer in a glass and sip it down. Several times he gave me a taste while I sat with him. Those were days when I could see him in a different light.

I got older and things in the family changed and there was plenty of hell raising going on around the place from us kids from the whole ordeal. As for me, it seemed that no matter what I did it was not good enough . Pop and I would butt heads from time to time on just about everything.
Thing was about drinking though was I remember him telling me that if I wanted a beer, and there was no shortage of it or any of the harder stuff, that I was welcomed to it as long as I did it at home. So I tested this out and would be having a beer when he came home. He made no big deal about it and it sort of took away from what most kids had to go through for a beer or a drink. Many, most, all of my friends would be sneaking around getting their beer which was part of the fun. You know, it was a forbidden thing to do which was half the fun of it. Getting away with it without their parents finding out.
For me it was not as big of a deal because my pop would let me drink back at home.

There was something else he told me when he and mom went out of town one of the many times leaving my brothers, who were older and partied fairly hard, to be on our own. He said to me " If you don't do it when we're here don't do it when were gone."
Hmmm, that could mean several things and to me it did soooo.... Instead of trying to find the right spot for me and the girlfriends to horizontal bop as before, I would just bring them home. One particular weekend my girl friend of the month spent the day with me and I took her all around the streets and trails on my motorcycle having a great time. Later, in the very early evening, mom and pop came home much earlier than they had said they'd be home and while down in my room with the door wide open and under the sheets, I caught the movement of something at the top of the stairs out of the corner of my eye. Low and behold it was pop and our eyes met each others. He looked, I stopped for a few seconds, I grinned, he went on his way and I mine. I mean what was I supposed to do?
It was a few days later before mom and pop brought it up with me. I replied that he had said if you don't do it when we're here don't do it when were gone. They looked at each other then at me and that was that. Sure I'd twisted the meaning around a bit from what he meant but it wasn't clear now was it?

Unlike most guys my age I was able to drink at home as long as I didn't get shitfaced and I didn't have to worry about my girlfriends being over. The girl friends weren't all that comfortable about waltzing in through the front door though and it was usually planned, sometimes not, for when we though the parents would be asleep. Them coming to my window was their own idea and not mine and was unexpected on more than one occasion. I couldn't just run them off now could I? I mean, how would that have looked?

Years later, when I was about to be married, mom and pop laughed about, and, told my soon to be wife about all the girls who used to come by at night and wake me up by pecking on my window. Even I did not know that back then my mom could hear everything going on down in our rooms by listening at the heat duct from their room above. That information sure took away from the mystery of how my mom found out about a ton of things. Our heat ducts were in the ceiling and theirs was on the floor. Mom knew almost as much about what was going on in my room as I did.

Now I'm just waiting for the day when mom and pop tell on me about this to my son. What will I say?