Joe Rocket Womens Motorcycle Jackets.


You wouldn't want her to wear just any jacket would you?
Help her find one that's just right.
Joerocket.com has a nice selection of apparel for both men and women. Give them a look and decide for yourself.

Build 'Ya Own New/Old Sporter Chopper or Get One Complete.

What is a new old sporter chopper? You take a newer style Sportster Evolution engine with it's reliable and easier to find parts and install it into an older style frame. The rolling chassis is all new components with the 60's and 70's look. Add to that either a set of fatbob style tanks and a Springer front end or, the glide type forks. Now you have an affordable motorcycle that has a better closer to stock rake and stretch an upgraded powerplant. All this to give more reliable riding freedom. Want to really spice it up? Fit in a Buell engine for a screaming experience.





Now has that trip your trigger?

The Doors Re-discovered.

I was sitting here trying to work on one of my stories (Bad case of writers block) and decided to send an email to Susan Hinton for some pointers on getting over this block. While I'm working on the email wording, my son comes in and to ask about a tape he found.

Okay, your wondering what's up and what sort of tape. Well, it's not a skin flick tape but a clear cassette tape with no marking on it at all. My son found it it his mom's work shop and she didn't know what it was either. They listened to the beginning, which sounds a bit freakie, with some guy versing a poem.
I wasn't in there and can only guess the confusion on their faces. My son brings it to me to ask me if I've ever seen this tape before. To my recollection I don't ever remember ever having a tape such as this one. Where did it come from? Who's might it be?

My son pops it in the stereo and tells me to have a listen. He has this sort of twisted look on his face as the weird sounds begin to flow out. I stop writing and turn towards the stereo as if I might be able to see something. THEN I hear the voice talking almost in monotone and low. The more of the poem I hear the more the voice sounds familiar. I'm still not sure who it is but it sure does sound familiar.
A song begins at the end of the poem and at the first few notes I know who it is with out a doubt. It's the Doors and Jim Morrison for gods sake. A friend made this tape for me so many years ago and it seems he recorded it over a conversation which has the end of the conversation talking about a Jim who is in jail.

What is this? You got me.

Billy Lane Wrecked Dodge Pictures.

For the most part all of this case against Mr. Lane killing Mr. Morelock is being kept out of the main stream media. Dodge doesn't wish it be there either I suspect.

The Defendant, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, received an economic benefit as a result of the Defendant, William D. Lane, operating the promotional Dodge pickup truck together with the other provided promotional vehicles on the roadways of the State of Florida as well as other states.

These pictures and partial reply from Dodge are courtesy of Mike Odom's Blog site.
To read the whole document go to: http://mikeodom.name/category/law/

Okay! So I went to the Yamaha Dealership Today.

Yes I know I'm partial to the Harley Davidson motorcycle but what do you do when the new Yamaha dealership is only two doors over, not to forget the friendly staff, and, well, some great looking machines actually. Unlike that other dealership, I was barely in the door to have a look when a sales person came over to talk with me. She was very informative and patient with my questions, plus if she didn't know the answer to mechanical questions, went back in the shop and had someone come out to address them. There weren't many questions that she did not know the answer to and I was impressed both by the enthusiasm and unhurried way she told me about each model.
Also unlike the other dealership, here when I kept looking at the Candy Red Road Star model she invited me to sit on it and take it off the stand to get a feel. For a 679lb motorcycle it felt pretty light and balanced. The huge 5.3 gallon tank and the large seat gives a clue to an easy long cruising down a winding mountain road.

The dual disk up front, belt drive and hidden rear shock along with the seat height of 27.9" gives you the idea of a very rider friendly and controllable machine. For me the headlight could be a little less bulky looking and some wire spoked wheels would be a nice addition as well. But, that's what the accessory catalog is for; custom make the bike that you want. As for having a canvas to work with, this is a very nice starting point.

The bike does have an excitement level it throws off as it sits there begging to be taken out for a ride. One thing I didn't ask about was the dependability of the engine. Why? Because unlike some machines, I didn't fell it was necessary. The sales person was going to let me hear the same model bike but with the optional pipes on it. Just seems that the employee who had it can't sit still long enough with finding reasons to run errands.

Am I being a turn coat here by going over to the Yamaha dealership. I don't think so especially when the way your treated even when you drive up in an old Pickup feels good. That my friend is something the Motor Factory seems to have forgotten. My dollar is just as green as that man in the Mercedes and last time I checked; spent just as well at one place as another. I still love a Harley but it doesn't hurt to look around at other well made affordable machines does it?

Replace your Helmet?

I have two helmets that I have owned for years. My Bell Moto 3 is so old that the fabric has pulled loose from the edges and the glue is deteriating. This was a prime helmet in it's day many years ago for the dirt. How long ago did I buy this helmet? Well, lets just say it was a few years back. So far back that when I tried it on for a hoot it barely fits my head now and gave me a crushing headache after only a couple of minutes. I guess my stomach isn't the only thing that has gained girth after all these years.
My other old helmet is a Shoei that is 23 years old. It still fits fine but it is past it's prime in safety for the street. You should replace your helmet every five years; if it has had any substantial impact it should never be worn again. A helmet is designed to crush both the shell and the inside foam to absorb the impact to the head. Once a helmet has been in a crash it should not be worn again even if you can't see the damage. There may be only some scaring on the outer shell but the helmet is weakened and if you should have another crash it will fail.
Take a windshield on a car for example; once it gets a crack it is weakened. You can still use it but should it be hit again it will crumble easier.
Want an idea of how a helmet protects your head? Take an egg and wrap it in foam and let it fall off the counter top. The foam helps absorb and distribute the impact; drop an un-wrapped egg off the counter and see what happens.
Another reason to replace your helmet every five years is because the resins and glues begin to breakdown. Petroleum based cleaners can also break down the outer shell of a helmet. Solvents in paints may also degrade the helmets shell. Makeup, hairspray and just plain old wear and tear contribute to the degradation of a helmets materials.

All helmets are not alike. There are SA, K and M designated helmets.
SA standard helmets are used in auto racing and have flame retardency while an M for motorcycles does not.
An SA helmet also has a narrower field of vision and some of them are not street legal.
SA standard helmets are also rollbar impact tested while M helmets are not.
An K standard helmet meets similar SA standards with the exception that they have no flame retardency.
M standard helmets meet rigid testing but are not flame retardant, and the field of vision is wider than an SA rated helmet. This is especially true in a full face helmet. There are also several novelty helmets out there such as shorty helmets that are not even D.O.T. approved.

I had another old helmet that is probably still at my parents house down in the basement somewhere. I took a spill with it on and several small cracks appeared at the crown of it. Over time those small cracks became large cracks so I quit using it.

And one last thing to note. That chin strap on the helmet; it's meant to be used to secure the helmet to your noggin. What good is wearing a helmet that's just going to fly off in an accident? Helmets aren't cheap and we are reluctant to shelve them after a few loyal years. If you still want to wear the old helmet you can contact the manufacturer for a recommendation and perhaps an inspection. Better to be out a few bucks than outta time.

My Yamaha Project Going On The Block.

Along with my new venture this basket case project will be going on the block. It is a 1977 Yamaha 500 that has been sitting in my garage for some years now. Everything goes with the exception of the frame and the rear fender. The fender is in bad shape and isn't worth trying to salvage. The seat and gas tank are in great condition as are the side covers that have the 500 on them. The carburetors are complete and together and were torn down and gone through about four years ago before going in a box. They may need a going over after sitting so long but have not been on the engine since being overhauled.

Well for some reason blogger is taking to long to upload the pictures and I'm getting tired of waiting for it to work. I'm off to watch Saturday night live.

Talk About a Stroke. I damn near had one When I saw this Picture.

I had ventured over to www.gizmag.com/go/2542 to read about the Diesel powered motorcycle available to the public when I saw this article about the last fire breathing two stroke roadster.

"It's the closest thing you'll find to a genuine Grand Prix racing machine on the road, be it two wheels or four. Its 250cc two-stroke motor produces in excess of 60 brake horses, giving it a specific output of 240 bhp per litre - more than the fastest MotoGP bikes and on a par with competitive Formula One engines. And it's the last one - the fire-breathing two-stroke racer-roadster is about to become extinct. The next batch of Aprilia RS250 road bikes will be the last - as the last bike of its type, it's the last chance to own one new. Ever!!!!"

It was accompanied by this picture (click to view if you dare)

Then read the article. It's good too.

Knuckle Head Chopper

I'll let Algie tell you about his bike in his own words.


I GOT THIS MOTOR WHEN I WAS 14 IN 1969,,, HAD IT ALL THIS TIME,,,HAD IT IN LOTS OF FRAMES ALL KINDS OF WAYS,, THE FRONT END YA SEE WAS BUILT BY MY BROTHER SAM PIRRELLO WAY BACK WHEN,,LIKE 69,,I MADE THE FRONT MOUNT OIL TANK,,FROM A OXG, BOTTLE I GOT FOR 3 BUCKS,,ADDED THE FILTERS FROM A CAR,,FOOT CONTROLS ARE MADE FROM FLOOR MOUNT SAND RAIL CONTROLS,,I FLIPPED EM AND MADE THE PEDDLES,,PEGS ARE FROM A BIKE,,THE SHIFTER IS MADE BY ME WITH A MASTER CYL, OFF A DIRT BIKE ON IT,,,TO HOLD ME ON HILLS AND HAUL IT DOWN AT SPEED,,AS I HAVE NO FRONT BRAKE,,,THE CLUCTH IS HYD,,I MADE THE SET-UP AND ARMS ,,I USED A SLAVE CYL, FROM A SAND RAIL,,,THE LIKES ARE REAL OLD ,,FRONTS OFF A 1940S WRECKER,,UNITY,,,REAR IS A DO-RAY GLASS LENZ OFF I DONT KNOW WHAT,,WAS GIVIN TO ME BY A FRIEND WHO FOUND IT IN A BARN BACK EAST,,AND KNEW IT WAS AS ODD AS ME,,I MADE THE SEAT FROM THE SIDE OF A BUS AND A OLD JACKET,,MOTOR IS A 1945 EL,,,NOW FL,,ALL DONE BY ME,,,PAINT ,,EVERY THING,,, KILLING MACHINE CHOPPERS,,,1 888 900 KILL ,,,,ALGIE LAKE ELSINORE CA,,,92530,,I JUST OPENED A CHOPPER SHOP,,

Gas to Pass.


Since the gasoline prices have been growing by leaps and bounds, motorcycle sales of all types have been going up. Will the trend continue on or will it bottom out with the new gas to pass? Large passenger cars and truck sales have been getting hurt and they are looking at doing away with the large behemoths. To me it doesn't matter how low the price tag comes down on a Yukon, Escalade or a Frontier because the cost to run it is still sky high.

We've all heard that we are to dependent on foreign oil and what a concern it has caused. All news about our oil is not bad so I thought a note about the recent discovery of a vast deposit might be welcomed.

There has been a recent discovery of a large deposit around five miles below the floor in the Gulf of Mexico. If calculations are correct it should give a boost to U.S. oil reserves by a 50% margin that would yield an additional 750,000 barrels a day to crude oil production. Last summer, Congress approved an energy bill that included a 300 million barrel expansion of our reserve. The federal government maintains the largest strategic Petroleum Reserve; the worlds largest emergency oil stockpile. The new expansion of oil from the bill will give the boosting capacity to a swelling one billion barrels. [ A barrel of oil is equal to 42 gallons and not the 55 gallon barrels most of us think of. Also, a barrel full of crude will not yield the same gallons of motor fuel.]

More good news is that since the price of oil is based on global supply and demand, greater U.S. output will help lower the price of oil. [ That remains to be seen. wb] From the United Press International, 9/06, Daniel Yergin, author of "the frontier for world oil" predicts a positive impact on prices could come in about five years.

Of course, a lot can happen over the course of five years but I'll take a positive outlook over a bad one. What about you? The big oil companies will still play with our wallets and test our patience. Should this new found supply end our search for alternative fuels? I, for one, should hope not and would hope that we continue the search and testing of new ideas and fuels. The new found deposits have given us a better window of opportunity in which to try new things and experiment. Let's not waste this valuable time.

Motorcycle Trader Publications
There are several motorcycle trader publications around but you have to pay for them. Here is one you can have mailed right to your door for free. Another good thing is that you go to their site and enter the information on the models your interested in, you'll get an update on them as soon as they are submitted. You can get a jump on a deal before the actual publication comes out with this nice feature. It look s like one of the better Trader publication s out there because, well, their attitude is different.

Harley Davidson 45 cubic inch WLA


It's pretty interesting to know that H-D delivered over 88,000 of the WLA 45's to the war effort. During WWII, the war was already raging when H-D was called up for duty overseas. While the 88,000 motorcycles were sent for combat duty, enough parts for an additional 30,000 was also supplied. The 1937 WL, a civilian model, was the basis for the WLA as these had proven to be rugged dependable machines on the home front. The WLA varied from the civilian model in five ways. The military model had a scabbard for a Thompson machine gun or a standard rifle, blackout lights, a heavy duty luggage rack, a heavy duty skid plate under the engine and, a metal plate attached to the gas tank between the instrument panel and seat. Soldiers abused these motorcycles over rough terrain and harsh conditions without significant breakdowns. Most all breakdowns that did occur were easily fixed in the field. The military had chosen the WLA because of it's ease of maintenance in the field.
The Flatheads that powered these machines were first produced in a 74ci confiquiration but by 1936 had grown to 80ci.







In 1942, H-D had been playing around with a new model called 42 XA-solo. This machine was basically a copy of the German BMW motorcycles already running around at the hands of the Axis powers. The XA was slated for use in the deserts of North Africa as conventional chain drives were quickly destroyed by the sand. The XA was a shaft driven machine with a horizontal engine; the engine being much smoother than a V-Twin. Several of Another model, the XS, was made with armored side cars. Though 1,000 of the XA machines had been produced, not a single one made it into combat; that part of the war was over before they could be put into combat.