Franks Biker News July 18th archive

BUELL INTRODUCES 1125RR SUPERBIKE RACING MOTORCYCLE

D&D Performance Enterprises Congratulates Erik on his Entry into the Premier Class

Race-Use Only Model Aimed at AMA American Superbike Class

Buell slip-on pipes are consistently a sales leader for the company. We feel that Buell riders tend to choose us because our work in the dyno translates into more power and torque for our customers... So we are sending Erik and his team a huge congratulations for the work done and much success in the future with his RR racebike!
- Dave Rash, The Pope of Pipe

EAST TROY, Wis. (July 15, 2009) - Buell Motorcycle Company today introduced the 1125RR, a race-use only motorcycle intended for competition in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike class.

"The 1125RR is designed to give privateer racers a turn-key machine to compete in the American Superbike class in AMA Pro Racing. We want to build on our program that has proven so successful for privateers in the Daytona SportBike class,"
- Erik Buell, Chairman and Chief Technical Officer, Buell Motorcycle Company.

The Buell 1125RR features a modified Helicon 1125cc (103mm bore x 67.5mm stroke) liquid-cooled 72-degree V-Twin engine. Power increases come from components including a larger airbox and intake manifold, revised valves and camshafts, a higher compression ratio, titanium exhaust system and other weight-reduced components.

The 1125RR chassis is the standard 1125R design with fuel-in-the-frame, plus a billet axle adjustment system and chain-drive to allow gearing changes. Suspension travel is managed by fully adjustable units, with a Showa 43mm front fork and a remote-reservoir rear shock. A ZTL2 (Zero Torsional Load) eight-piston front caliper is mated with a modified front rotor.

Buell 1125RR features:

* 1125cc (68.7 cid) Helicon Powertrain
* 4.055 inch (103 mm) bore and 2.658 inch (67.5mm) stroke
* Dual 61mm down-draft fuel-injection throttle bodies
* Titanium exhaust header and mass-centralized muffler
* 6-Spoke cast magnesium racing wheels
* Front: 3.5 inch (88.9mm) x 17 inch (431.8mm)
* Rear: 6 inch (152.4mm) x 17 inch (431.8mm)
* Buell ZTL2 reversed rotor front brake with eight-piston Nissin caliper
* 43mm Showa fully-adjustable inverted forks
* Showa fully-adjustable rear shock with remote reservoir
* Cast-aluminum swingarm machined with billet axle adjustment system
* Center position wheelbase 55.5 inches (1410 mm)

Limited Motorbike Access

Buell will produce a limited number of 1125RR motorcycles for sale only to licensed professional road racers who will compete in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike class. U.S. MSRP is $39,995. Orders must be placed through the Buell Race Department and delivered through an authorized Buell motorcycle dealer.

About Buell Motorcycle Company

Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike, 1125CR café racer and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, or to locate the dealer nearest you, log onto www.buell.com.

Image source from Kneesliders.

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Moving two-wheeled timeline to commemorate AMA 85th anniversary at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 24-26 -  PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) will celebrate 85 years of protecting and promoting motorcycling this July 24-26 during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and one must-see event will be the AMA 85th Parade on Saturday, July 25. The moving timeline of motorcycle history will showcase bikes from 1924 to today.

Led by Grand Marshal Don Emde, the vintage bike column will lead off with a 1924 Harley-Davidson JDCA, ridden by owner and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Buzz Kanter. The parade of historical bikes will navigate the sinuous curves of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course before coming to a stop on the front straight, creating a striking display of motorcycling history.

"As the most recent custodian of this wonderful old machine, I have owned the JD for more than 15 years but seldom get to ride it," Kanter said. "It is a great honor to be participating in the AMA's 85th anniversary festivities on a motorcycle from the year the AMA was founded. I look forward to meeting a lot of old and new friends among the fellow enthusiasts at the event."

Kanter is a longtime motorcyclist and collector. In addition to being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002, he is the owner and editor-in-chief of American Iron Magazine and RoadBike magazine.

Kanter says he found the JDCA when an inquiry into what he was told were "a couple old Harleys for sale" -- which he suspected were probably just 10-year-old Sportsters -- turned out to be the '24 JDCA and a 1929 Harley JDH two-cam, which now sits in his office at American Iron Magazine.

"They're some of the earliest bikes I own," Kanter said. "I have huge admiration for the people who made and rode them. Personally, the vintage bikes I prefer to ride are Harleys and Indians from the 1940s and '50s. They are as comfortable as modern motorcycles and are reliable enough for the job. You can ride them cross-country."

Kanter says he's looking forward to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, particularly the opportunity to meet other vintage enthusiasts and to see other classic motorcycles of all makes.

"Everybody raves about how incredible (AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days) is," Kanter says. "I love old machinery and the romance of it. There's just something very honest about a lot of these uncluttered old bikes. Jay Leno says he doesn't trust a motorcycle (engine) he can't see, and I'm the same way."

Volunteers interested in participating in the AMA 85th Anniversary Parade are encouraged to contact the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, which is organizing the parade, for information about participating in it. Information is at MotorcycleMuseum.org.

About AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, all proceeds of which go to support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, includes national-championship vintage racing, North America's largest motorcycle swap meet, bike shows, demo rides of current production bikes, motorcycling seminars, stunt shows, the new product Manufacturers' Midway and club corrals featuring marque and regional clubs, and the AMA Used Bike Corral.

The Marque of the Year for 2009 is BSA, whose bikes became synonymous with racing in the United States when the brand swept the top five positions at the Daytona 200 in 1954. The Classic Clubs this year will be the Sandcast Only Owner's Club (SOOC), and the International CBX Owners Association.

More information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days can be found at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world's largest motorcycling organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations.

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Take action now to support the federal Recreational Trails Program

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) and Tom Petri (R-Wis.) released a "Dear Colleague" letter asking members of the House of Representatives to sign a letter to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) that provides funding for trails, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) reports.

The RTP is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-administered program. It was first created in the 1991 transportation bill (ISTEA) and operates through state trail programs, with the active involvement of diverse trail interests represented on mandated state trail advisory councils. Funding is provided by taxes generated from fuel used in off-highway recreational vehicles.

Michaud and Petri have placed a July 17 deadline for collecting signatures.  Therefore, time is of the essence, and the AMA and its sister organization, the All-Terrain Vehicle Association (ATVA), are encouraging all members, motorized recreation enthusiasts and rights activists to contact their U.S. representatives and ask them to sign the letter.

Because the deadline is this Friday, July 17, the fastest way to reach your members of Congress is to call them. You can find contact information for your representatives in the Rapid Response Center at AmericanMotorcyclist.com . Click on "Rights," then "Issues & Legislation," and enter your zip code in the "Find your Officials" box. Additionally, a prewritten e-mail is available for you to send to your U.S. representatives by clicking on the "Take Action" link and entering your information.

The bipartisan letter thanks the leadership for including the RTP in the Surface Transportation Authorization Act. The letter also makes three specific requests:
 

1. That RTP funding levels in the legislation to be set at $690 million over six years -- $90 million in 2010, $100 million in 2011, $110 million in 2012, $120 million in 2013, $130 million in 2014, and $140 million in 2015.
    
2. That $2.5 million be allocated to a federal Transportation Department study of off-highway recreational fuel use to ensure that the level of RTP funding reflects the amount of federal fuel taxes paid for off-highway fuel usage.
    
3. That the funds allocated to the FHWA for administering the RTP each year be adjusted from a set amount to 1 percent of the actual available annual funding to ensure that sufficient administrative resources are available for the program.

All AMA and ATVA members, and anyone else who enjoys responsible recreation on trails, are urged to contact their representatives and ask them to sign on to the Michaud/Petri letter addressed to the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in support of the RTP.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world's largest motorcycling organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations.

 

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Metcalfe Finishes Fourth at Red Bud
The sixth round of the 2009 AMA Motocross season was held July 4 at Red Bud Track-N-Trail in Buchanan, Mich. In the first moto, Team AMSOIL 250 rider Brett Metcalfe jumped out to third and was challenging the leaders before teammate Justin Barcia passed him on the last lap. Barcia finished third, while Metcalfe finished fourth. In the second moto, Metcalfe got off to a good start to finish third, giving him fourth overall, while Barcia finished seventh for sixth overall. After crashing in both motos, Blake Wharton finished 14th overall for the weekend.

The seventh round of the AMA Motocross season will be held Saturday, July 18 at Spring Creek Motocross Park in Millville, Minn. Local racer Alex Martin, whose family owns and lives at the Spring Creek race track, will join the AMSOIL team for the race and compete aboard injured rider Trey Canard’s CRF250R.

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Kevin Windham To Race Summer X Games and U.S. Open
 

Team AMSOIL supercross/motocross star Kevin Windham has been invited to take part in two events at the ESPN Summer X Games: the Moto X Step Up on July 30 and the Moto X Super X race on August 1. Windham has also committed to racing October 9-11 at the Rock Star Energy Drink U.S. Open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Windham has enjoyed success at the event in the past, placing as high as second in 2000 and 2005. In his five appearances at the U.S. Open, he has finished no lower than seventh.

“The U.S. Open is a fun weekend for the riders and fans,” said Windham. “The MGM Grand Garden Arena provides a great atmosphere for a race. It’s like you come to a party and a race breaks out. This fall is going to be exciting because I will race the U.S. Open the first part of October and my wife, Dottie, and I are expecting our fourth child at the end of the month.”

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Hells Angels Member Found Dead, Deputies Say - WXII12.com - FORSYTH, N.C. -- The death of a man whose body was found inside a home on Baux Mountain Road Wednesday evening was the victim of a homicide, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department said Thursday afternoon.
[A CSI vehicle at the scene of a fatal shooting in Forsyth County]
A CSI vehicle at the scene of a fatal shooting in Forsyth County More
Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman said a neighbor found the body of Dwight Alan Sluder, 48, of 9944 Baux Mountain Road, and called 911 at about 7:40 p.m.
"It's our information that a person who resides in this area visited a residence on this road and discovered a person who was dead and called it in and certainly we responded," Schatzman said.
Deputies served a search warrant at the home at about 12:30 p.m. Deputies said Sluder died from a gunshot wound to his head.
"We are responding in full force. We have uniformed and plainclothes officers canvassing the neighborhood," Schatzman said.
Deputies said a county gang registry database listed Sluder as a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Deputies will not say the homicide is related to his affiliation, but they are certainly not ruling it out.
Sluder's neighbors said he was always a very friendly and kind person.
"It made me feel bad," said neighbor Gilda Mendenhall. "Really bad that someone would go inside somebody's home and do such a thing, shoot them and kill them in their own property."
Deputies will be back at the scene on Friday, combing through evidence inside Sluder's home on Baux Mountain Road.

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Gunshots, then witness entered barn to find bikers dead and dying - Globe and Mail - First came the gunfire, a series of pop-pop-pops punctuated by two loud bangs. It lasted perhaps 15 seconds, echoing across the darkened farmland where two other gunmen stood listening, both clutching shotguns.
Then the pair stepped inside the big barn from which the shots had emanated, to encounter a scene of horror that might have been lifted from a bad movie.
Dead and dying were eight outlaw bikers from the Toronto area, most of them motionless on the barn's rough floor. Standing over them were two other men, each brandishing a rifle.
Shot in the chest and the neck, one of the victims - Luis (Chopper) Raposo, 41, - appeared to be trying to talk.
"There was blood on him and his lips were moving," a rapt courtroom heard yesterday.
"But there wasn't any sound."
The testimony at the mass-murder trial of six members and associates of the Bandidos motorcycle gang came from a defector, a biker-turned-informant who was one of the two men outside the barn that night, April 5, 2006, and who is now the prosecution's star witness.
The barn lay on the property of long-time biker Wayne (Wiener) Kellestine, 60, who according to yesterday's testimony from the informant, known by the initials M.H., was one of the two killers inside the barn that night.
The other rifle-toting man in the barn, perched in the loft and wearing a bulletproof vest, was Michael (Taz) Sandham, 39, leader of the Winnipeg Bandidos faction and a onetime police officer with experience in the Canadian military.
The Crown theory in the slaughter is that Mr. Kellestine, Mr. Sandham and the other four defendants had been instructed by the U.S. Bandidos leadership to strip the Toronto Bandidos of their membership - to "pull their patches," in biker parlance.
The bodies of the eight victims were found the day after the massacre, dumped in a farmer's field in tiny Shedden, a short drive from the Kellestine farm.
In essence, the victims walked into an ambush when they ventured down to the farm that evening, the prosecution contends.
And until he became an informer, M.H. - the sergeant-at-arms for the Winnipeg group - was part of the group alleged to have committed the killings.
Now he is in the witness protection program, his new identity and location closely guarded by police.
Along with fellow Winnipeg Bandido Dwight (Big D) Mushey, 41, one of the six accused, M.H. donned gloves and waited at the back of the Kellestine barn, shotgun at the ready.
As the visitors rolled in from Toronto in four vehicles, arriving at the isolated farm west of London one by one, their headlights piercing the darkness as they pulled into the driveway on the Aberdeen Line, M.H. and Mr. Mushey watched, M.H. testified yesterday.
If his evidence is believed by the jury, the alleged assassins knew what was likely to happen. More than once, he said, their host, Mr. Kellestine, had told them during their two-week stay at his rundown farm that if one of the Toronto Bandidos was killed, they would all have to be killed.
On the afternoon of the massacre, Mr. Kellestine had sent his spouse and young daughter away to stay with friends, together with the girlfriend of co-accused Frank (Frankie) Mather, 35, who had been staying at the farm.
Yesterday, M.H. described what he witnessed when he and Mr. Mushey stepped inside the barn after the gunfire.
The first person he saw was Mr. Kellestine, pointing a .22 rifle chest-high, tied to his wrist with a strap.
Then M.H. began identifying the dead and wounded, using their biker nicknames.
The first he saw was George (Pony) Jessome, 52, lying on the floor face down, neither speaking nor moving.
Close by was George (Crash) Kriarkis, 28. He too was face down and motionless.
So too was Paul (Paulie) Salerno, 43.
Then M.H. looked up and saw Mr. Sandham, who had climbed up to the barn loft with an aluminum ladder.
"He was holding the .303 rifle, pointing it down toward the floor."
Sitting on the floor mortally wounded, with one arm on an old couch, was Mr. Raposo.
Then M.H. spied Frank (Bammer) Salerno, 43. He too was face-down and motionless.
Also on the barn floor, but lying face up, was Jamie (Goldberg) Flanz, 37.
Then M.H. saw John (Boxer) Muscedere, 48, president of the Toronto chapter, whose reputation as a tough guy had made Mr. Kellestine wary, M.H. testified.
Mr. Muscedere was on the floor, not moving.
Finally, although not immediately, M.H. spotted Michael (Little Mikey) Trotta, 31, the only one of the eight Toronto Bandidos still on his feet.
Whether Mr. Trotta had been shot and wounded at that point was unclear.
The witness will continue his testimony today.

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James Caviezel hurt in accident - The Press Association - The Passion Of The Christ actor suffered cuts and bruises when a man hurled a bicycle into the path of his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The actor was then taken to a local hospital, KPQ-AM radio reported.
Police said the 40-year-old Caviezel, who lives in California, was wearing a helmet, and that "it could have been a lot worse".
They said they didn't know why the actor was in the area about 14 miles south-east of Leavenworth in north-central Washington.
Caviezel portrayed Jesus in Mel Gibson's movie. He was born in Mount Vernon, Washington.

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Motorcyclist hits manure, crashes - Omaha World-Herald - Police say a man on a motorcycle may have hit some cow manure on the freeway and slid off the road. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he is expected to recover.
The accident happened on the ramp from northbound U.S. 75 to Interstate 80 eastbound. According to Omaha police, the man had been riding a red Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 when it hit a strip of manure in the middle of the ramp. The motorcycle slid about 150 feet and ended up in the shoulder on the right side. Police did not yet know how fast the motorcycle was going.
By late Thursday, authorities were still piecing together the timeline of the crash. They identified the rider as Mick D. Goslin, 41, of Omaha. Police were called at 8:03 p.m. Thursday. The on-ramp remained closed for much of the late evening.
Accident investigators didn't get a chance to talk to the motorcyclist before he went to the hospital, but Sgt. Douglas Klein said the man was speaking. It appeared to police that he had suffered cuts to his legs, a laceration to the back of his head and possibly broken ribs. Police found a helmet at the scene.
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Klein said the manure likely fell from a livestock truck. This was the first time he'd seen a manure-related accident.

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Lancaster mayor trying to keep Mongols motorcycle club out of town - Los Angeles Times - Mayor R. Rex Parris has moved to shut down a local motel that had agreed to accommodate the bikers during an annual meeting this weekend. - Determined to prevent the Mongols motorcycle club from using a Lancaster motel to host its annual meeting this weekend, the city's mayor has taken steps to shut down the establishment.
Mayor R. Rex Parris said the members of the Mongols, which law enforcement agencies consider a violent biker gang, are not welcome in Lancaster because they "are engaged in domestic terrorism . . . and they kill our children."
Parris said owners of the Desert Inn, whom the Mongols had agreed to pay more than $16,000 for the use of 113 rooms, the banquet hall, restaurant and bar, had been in violation of several regulations, such as being late on paying transient occupancy taxes.
Parris said that the city had been working with the Desert Inn over the last several months to try to help it stay in business. But when the city asked that the motel renege on hosting the Mongols, he said, the owners would not comply.
The owners of the motel did not return calls for comment.
Albert Perez Jr., a Los Angeles-based attorney retained by the Mongols, said his clients were expecting a full refund and would take legal action if the motel reopened Monday, which he said would confirm why the motel was shut down.
The Mongols still plan to go to Lancaster for a Friday night street fair and have found alternative accommodations. He declined to say where.
"They're upset because they're getting a bad rap," Perez said. 

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Man critically injured after his motorcycle crashes into wall - Woonsocket Call - WOONSOCKET — A 39-year-old city man was seriously injured when he crashed his motorcycle into a wall in the parking lot of the Walnut Hill Apartment complex Thursday afternoon, police said.
Celestino Nieves of 83 Orchard St. was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Rhode Island Hospital after the crash, which occurred about 1:25 p.m., said Detective Lt. Eugene Jalette.
The police department’s Accident Reconstruction Team was still trying to determine exactly what happened as of press time. But as far as police could tell, Jalette said, Nieves was riding through the parking lot of the complex, near 2281 Diamond Hill Road, when he somehow lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a wall.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, and no other vehicles appear to have been involved, he said.
Nieves wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, and it was apparent that he had suffered head injuries, said Jalette.
Nieves was not conscious when paramedics arrived at the scene, the detective said.
There were a number of witnesses to the accident that police were planning to interview as part of their investigation, said Jalette.

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Former Indian CEO pleads guilty in racketeering case - Gilroy Dispatch - Former Indian Motorcycle CEO and Gilroy resident Rey Sotelo pleaded guilty Thursday in a federal racketeering case, according to lawyers involved.
Sotelo, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in stolen motorcycle parts, a charge he brushed off last summer when a federal indictment accused him of helping a central California chop shop send a stolen Harley-Davidson to Sweden without the government's permission. Sotelo allegedly helped counterfeit the bike's official papers, but the hog never made it across the pond.
"I'm not the guy they want. They're just throwing me in this to sensationalize the case," Sotelo said at the time as he pulled out of his Day Road driveway.
Sotelo could not immediately be reached Thursday afternoon, but his lawyer called him a "minor player" in the government's case against Bob Holloway, owner of the Road Dog Cycle Shop in Denair. Holloway, Sotelo, and about a dozen other men were arrested last year after authorities completed a multi-year investigation into Road Dog.
A federal judge will sentence Sotelo Sept. 28, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Cullers, who worked out the plea deal. The charge Sotelo faced entailed up to five years in jail and about $250,000 in fines, but the judge could modify as seen fit.
As part of the plea deal, Sotelo also agreed to testify at any future trials in the case, but as there is not trail date set, Cullers said it is difficult to say how long Sotelo will stay involved.
In June, two other defendants pleaded guilty. Ray M. Heffington admitted to trafficking in stolen motorcycle parts. Michael Orozco said he was guilty of one count of conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortion. Federal prosecutors used a grand jury's findings to indict a total of 11 men, including five with law enforcement connections.