MotorcycleInsurance.com

Oh Lawdy Nothing Sweeter Than A Triumph Bobber

Todd Halterman — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:45:24 +0000

Could the men of Hinckley have ever imagined what people would do with their machines?

I have my doubts, but once you’ve seen the utterly stripped magnificence of a ’60s Triumph hardtail bobber, there’s no going back. The breed just says pure class, citizen. Roll up on one of these and be prepared to talk to people about it – lot’s of people. A slick Triumph is the ultimate parking lot honeypot.

This classic 1968 bobber by Danish builder Daniel Peter Dyrberg is the essence of the genre.

So why do people pour hours of their time and piles of their money into making these gutbucket beauties? Because they can.

“The story about this bike is that I have always had the need for building, creating and getting my ideas constructed,” Dyrberg said. “Back in the days during my education as a smith, I started a small business at the technical college, engine rebuilding and tuning the other boys mopeds, having my closet in the locker room filled with new parts, took their bikes home in the afternoon rebuild them during the evening and delivered them back next morning after I had given them a couple of hundred kilometers in the morning.”

Dyrberg took that experience and when circumstances finally aligned with the stars, he went to work.

“A couple of years ago in the beginning of my thirties I got the dream back on track, and the design for this one (#1) goes back to these technical college days. I found the frame in a US imported container that just came home to a classic bike dealer, and the rest here and there, but never had any doubt about the design. Everything on the bike is new, or totally rebuilt,” he said. “During this build, the ideas for new designs, other brands and styles just kept coming. I can’t say what it is, but the passion can come and go for each project, it is like a process I have to go through.”

So what’s next on the list for grinding? A 1976 Kawasaki Z400, A Yamaha RD400 or two, yet another T120 Triumph and I’m waiting impatiently to see this one - a BSA M21 with an old school girder front end.

And hey, if you want to buy it, you can do that by contacting the the brothers at Pipeburn who found this blast from the past…they’ll put you in touch with Dyrberg and you’ll be on your way.

Triumph Motorcycle Factory History Part 1

Triumph Motorcycle Factory History Part 2

Insuring your collectible or vintage motorcycle

As for insurance for your collectible motorcycle? You should be able to get Agreed Value coverage on a classic 1959 BSA Gold Star Catalina valued at $15,000 for somewhere around $25 a month, and that gives you the whole shooting match of coverage.

You can spend a lot less, but if you plan to ride the bikes in your collection, the above pricing is a reasonable approximation of what you can expect to pay.

Inside Look at the Aftermath of A Horrific Motorcycle Accident In Indianapolis

Todd Halterman — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:40:44 +0000

A couple of months ago, we read about a terrible motorcycle accident in Indiana which resulted in the death of one rider and serious injuries to two others.

Now a local news source has gotten ahold of police department radio transmissions of what went down on the day an Indianapolis metro police officer slammed into three riders on the north side of that city. The accident killed Eric Wells and injured two others.

On the recordings, a police commander called for an immediate investigation but told a dispatcher that the accident was not alcohol-related.

More than half an hour after Officer David Bisard crashed his patrol car into the motorcyclists, Major John Conley called in the city’s Fatal Accident and Fatal Alcohol Crash Team.

“Hey, this is John Conley,” the major said to the dispatcher. “Can you tell me if the FACT team has been ordered for this crash?”

When Conley was advised that no such request had been made, the commander at the scene responded, “Authority of car 3 Chief (Ron) Hix can we go ahead and start them back this way?”

The dispatcher says, “Okay. Do we want the regular? Okay. I would guess that’s Fact 1 we want…right?…when there’s suspected alcohol?”

“Yeah,” says Conley, “but in this case its not suspected alcohol so there’s an officer involved.”

Minutes later the dispatcher confirmed that FACT investigators had been contacted.

“And if just did your FACT page and I did FACT 6. That’s not for alcohol related.”

“Right,” answered Conley. “That’s it.”

Shortly after, Conley again contacted the dispatcher and asked that she contact the FACT investigators.

“Is there any way you can contact them and have them divert to Methodist Occupational Health Clinic on Southeastern Avenue? We’re going to take the officer away from the scene and take him there.”

Conley says he was, at the time, not aware that a change had been made to state law which required that blood drawn to determine if a driver has been using alcohol must be taken at a hospital and not at a clinic. He added that he wanted to keep officer Bisard and other police officers separated from family members of the victims who were gathering at Methodist Hospital.

Authorities say it’s that error in where blood samples were drawn which originally led Marion County Prosecutor to withdraw the evidence that Bisard’s BAC of .19% from the criminal case. That decision was later reversed by Prosecutor Terry Curry and he decided to include the evidence in his case.

A medic at Wishard Memorial Hospital, Barbara Miller, treated Bisard at the accident scene.

“I smelled nothing. Honest to God, I smelled nothing. I was shocked when I heard it,” Miller said in her deposition on the matter.

A doctor who examined Bisard said he was equally surprised by the results of the officer’s blood alcohol test.

“I was shocked. .19 (BAC), that’s pretty high and he didn’t have any indication of that, that I could see.”

In a copy of an internal report, exclusively obtained by Fox59 News in Indianapolis, and written by Metro PD Detectives Rick Burkhardt and Tom Lehn, refer to a conversation Bisard’s wife had with an IMPD officer in the days after the crash.

“Mrs. Bisard told Sgt. (Craig) Heddon that her husband drank the night before and woke up at 0200 hrs that morning to “get a drink.”

Bisard’s wife said her husband was not drunk – and had not been drinking - in the hours immediate before the fatal crash. Bisard’s attorney, John Kautzman added, “We have printouts from the car’s power train control module showing the brakes failed, plus some other documents.”

However the case plays out, the recording offers a chilling document of a terrible moment.

“I need a medic rush to 56th and Brendon Park Way. Been involved in a PI accident.

“I’ve hit a motorcycle. There’s two people down. Actually there’s three people down.

“Shut it down from 465 and shut it down back to Arlington.

“Control, if we have a K9 supervisor on duty I’m gonna need him on duty here, too.”

Of Bike Cops and Baby Birds

Todd Halterman — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:47:36 +0000

It might be a little over the top, and we in the media are certainly quick to toss out the “hero” tag, but a Milwaukee motorcycle Police Officer, Bill Ritch, is being hailed a “hero” for rescuing a baby bird.

The Milwaukee Police Department says Officer Ritch was teaching a motorcycle officer training course in a ballpark parking lot this week when he did his part to help out Mother Nature.

BIRD ON MOTORCYCLE # 1 by Elizabeth Nihiser.

A night of storms in the area had brought down some branches, and when one of them dropped near his bike, a baby bird popped out of the debris onto Ritch’s motorcycle. He found the tiny bird after the class he was teaching took a break.

In keeping with the bird’s appearance on his bike, officers named the tiny avian rider “Harley.” No word yet on whether or not the bird was wearing chaps and a do-rag…

After a look around to find the nest which so rudely disgorged “Harley,” officer Ritch checked the tiny traveler into his motorcycle’s tour pack, fed the bird all day and has taken care of his charge since then.

“My wife, her response was ‘only you Bill’ because she knows I’m an animal lover,” Ritch said. “I’ll admit it, I’ve got a soft spot for animals.”

So do the experts think Ritch was on the right track with his rescue efforts? Well, sort of…

The Wisconsin Humane Society says the best thing Ritch could have done was to put the bird in the nearest tree to where it was found and let nature take its course.

Being an all-round good guy, Ritch did just that Thursday morning, and the experts say they suspect the tiny robin’s parents are somewhere in the area and that they’ll take over from here.

Let He Or She Who Is Without Sin…Reporter Dumps Harley on Live TV

Todd Halterman — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:31:04 +0000

It’s one thing to dump your bike by the side of the road in some loose gravel. Another entirely to dump it over in a parking lot full of riders because, well, you just weren’t paying attention. But it is a true horror indeed to dump someone else’s bike in front of a television audience.

A teevee reporter in North Carolina, Stephanie Berzinski, has found herself in the unenviable position of having dumped a gleaming new Harley-Davidson during a segment she was taping to – and this is just cruel – promote motorcycle safety.

In case you were wondering, Berzinski is no squid. She’s a fully-licensed motorcyclist and was tooling around a parking lot for WXII-TV’s 5 p.m. broadcast when the horror took hold and got her the kind of attention no rider wants. It went down like this: Berzinski tried to stop the bike as she approached the camera but it all went wrong when she forgot to put the kickstand down. She tipped the Harley over with the engine still running, but she did of course have a crew member close by to offer her some help righting the ship.

“Okay, so it really isn’t as easy as it looks,” Berzinski said. “That bike is a lot heavier than the one I was using in the motorcycle safety course. I apologize.…That was not supposed to happen.”

Berzinski took to her Facebook account to offer this mea culpa.

“Dear Everyone: Thank you for your thoughts and concerns! But I am A-Okay! :) Maybe a bruised ego…lol but other than that totally fine. I have to laugh this one off. Yes, I am forever embarrassed and yes I was totally mad at myself, but hey-that’s live TV for you. Mistakes happen. Obviously. Either way I still passed and have my motorcycle endorsement. I think I’m gonna start off with a Vespa. P.S. the motorcycle is fine too. If it’s one thing I CAN do it’s gracefully fall.”

Stephanie, you are not the first, and you sure won’t be the last, to dump a bike. And it was no big deal anyway, it was just a Sporty, and laying on it’s side somewhere is what a Sportsters was made to do.

I’m heading out right now to give you a hug from a fellow rider – as soon as I can get my leg out from under my bike and stand it back up…

Click here to view the embedded video.

[See post to watch Flash video]

A Slick Murdered Out Diesel Ducati

Todd Halterman — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:36:15 +0000

Ducati Monster 1100 EVO Diesel Edition

Nope, it isn’t powered by a diesel engine, it’s powered by the Diesel brand.

Ducati’s design gurus and Diesel clothing line founder, Renzo Rosso, slammed their pens together to create what they call “the ultimate version of the naked motorcycle.”

And you have to admit, what they came up with is one slick-looking urban speed machine. The Monster 1100 EVO Diesel edition is styled to reflect the Diesel brand. Painted a deep military green and finished out with satin black details, a custom seat and tail section, and Diesel logo and graphics, this monster has some seriously raw attitude.

If you’re the kind of guy who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing last year’s Potamo super jeans, The Monster 1100 EVO Diesel is for you, Amico mio.

Ducati are happy to offer you a spot on the waiting list for one of these and the MSRP is $13,795. You should be out impressing the ladies and spattering your Diesel gear with bugs shortly after July 2012.

Features

Ducati ABS system
Ducati traction control system
Diesel “Mohican” logo
Ducati data analyzer ready
LED taillight
Leather seat
Brembo brakes
2-1-2 routing exhaust system
Marzocchi forks
Triple-parabola headlight

What Kind of Bike Do You Want? Motorcycle Demo Days Will Help You Decide

Todd Halterman — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:42:20 +0000

A test ride is the perfect way to find the bike that works for you.

You’ve waited this long to finally go out with cash in hand and buy your first motorcycle. So which one do you choose and how do you go about making the choice?

There’s always the tried and true method of searching Ebay and Craigslist to find a use, preferably cherry, bike to take you into the wind.

But you say you don’t want to buy someone else’s problems? You want something brand-spanking new?

Then here’s the ticket; head out to a “demo day” and see what the various models and makes have to offer.

If you’re dead-set on a new Harley-Davidson, you can check out four new models from the Men of Milwaukee: the Sportster® Seventy-Two, Softail Slim®, V-Rod® 10th Anniversary Edition and the Dyna Switchback. And the really slick thing is that you can walk the showroom and then take a free test ride to help you make the call.

“Spring is the best time of year to come into a dealership to test ride and see why no other bike on the road compares to our new Harley-Davidsons,” said Steve Piehl, Director of Customer Experience. “We’ve asked all our dealers to offer free test rides as we want to give every rider the chance to experience the genuine feel of riding a Harley.”

So here’s the drill. You can hit one of the more than 150 free Dealer Demo Events (usually hosted over a weekend with other items such as food and music) at a dealership near you which offers free individual test rides. You can find those locations at http://www.h-d.com/demos to schedule a test ride online. If you’re not all internetty, find a Dealer Demo Event near you. All you have to be is a licensed rider to take a tour at a dealership anytime during the riding season.

Events are also a great spot to see what’s out there. You can take a test ride at events the Motor Company hosts in more than 15 locations like Americade and Sturgis.

If you’re a non-rider, you can check out JUMPSTART, a stationary motorcycle which allows aspiring customers to learn how to start, shift and twist the throttle on a fully-functioning motorcycle simulation. You can find out more about that little trick of the trade at http://www.h-d.com/JUMPSTART.

If you’re already up on something other than an H-D, you can head out to Americade, Wing Ding 34 or the Bikes, Blues & Barbeque motorcycle rallies try Harley-Davidson’s Dare to Compare Experience. Reserved for riders of competitive brand motorcycles, these test rides are set up on a first-come, first-serve basis and offer day-long test rides on select 2012 Harley-Davidson models.

So you’re not into riding a big cruiser? You, my friend, have some options this summer.

Kawasaki Good Times Street Demo Days will be part of the demo ride program at the sixth AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference in Carson City, Nev., on July 26-29, and that’s a great time to check out what kind of machine fits your personality and riding style.

“Kawasaki motorcycles have a reputation for being sporty, trendy and well-engineered vehicles that every rider can appreciate,” said Tigra Tsujikawa, AMA marketing manager. “We are excited that Kawasaki will be part of the demo ride program in Carson City, and I’m sure all of our attendees will want to sample their new model lineup on the exciting demo route we’re putting together for the conference.”

The Kawasaki Good Times Street Demo Days line features a wide range of Kawasaki motorcycles, including the Ninja® ZX™-6R, the Ninja 650, Versys®, Z1000, Ninja 1000, Ninja ZX-10R ABS, and Ninja ZX-14R sportbikes. Kawasaki’s cruiser line will be represented by the Vulcan® 900 Classic LT and Custom, the Voyager® ABS, the 1700 Nomad™, and the 1700 Vaquero™. Additional demo units include the Concours® 14 sport tourer and KLR® 650 dual-purpose machines.

“Today’s motorcycling community is made up of many different groups, and female riders are not only becoming a more significant component, but their voices are being heard throughout the industry,” said Director of Marketing Communications Chris Brull, with Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. “Kawasaki has for many years sold a large number of units to women, and the company is pleased to be able to include this AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conference on the Good Times Street Demo Days Schedule.”

Tom Cruise Says He’s Not Afraid of a Little Road Rash

Todd Halterman — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:00:07 +0000

Yeah he’s a movie star, a Hollywood superstar in fact, but Tom Cruise says he wanted to ride motorcycles since the age of 12.

With horrifically bankable films behind him and more to come (like Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) Cruise is also famous for doing his own stunts from motorcycle chases, to hanging off the 124th floor of the world’s tallest building.

“From as early as I can remember, I wanted to ride motorcycles and race cars. I wanted to do jumps and stunts. Every birthday I wanted only a motorcycle. By the time I was 12, I`d bought my own,” Cruise said. “I crashed a lot, because I like to go fast. I`d create ramps to try to jump over garbage cans on my bike, figuring it out on my own.”

Now 49-years-old, Cruise wasn’t always successful and suffered a fair share of injuries in his quest to keep his adrenaline levels topped off. Among those injuries – he’s broken his nose three times – and that’s not the entire list.

“I’ve broken my leg,” he said. “Another time, I got hit with a baseball bat by accident. Then I re-injured it on a motorcycle. No one thought about helmets or pads back then. When I was 18, on the set of Taps, I met the stunt guys. I was like, `You train for stuff like this?` Back in the day there were no videos of this stuff.”

Handy State Helmet Law Reference Wallet Card

Todd Halterman — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:48:14 +0000

State helmet law reference card

Everyone who loves to ride is ready to hit the road this time of year, and some riders are going to burn up the highways and travel long distances across the nation.

When you do that, you’re facing a weird patchwork of laws and requirements in the various states you’ll visit, and one critical set of laws you’ll need to be aware of is each state’s motorcycle helmet law.

The motorcycle helmet requirements range from complete freedom of choice (like here in Michigan with the new law) to compulsory and mandatory helmet laws in most states.

So how do you know what the law is in the state you’re riding across?

Accident lawyers of Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. in Michigan took the trouble to make this state-by-state motorcycle Helmet Law Infographic Map to hip you to the helmet law requirements in every state in the union, and it’s small enough to fit in your wallet.

The card also provides information on which states have the highest fines and maximum jail time for violating their motorcycle helmet laws, and that will come in handy. Where don’t you want to get on the wrong side of the law when it comes to helmet legislation? Georgia. Their insane helmet law could get you slapped with a $1,000 fine and 12 months of jail time. Watch out on your way through Nevada as well, as a violation of the helmet law there could set you back to the tune of a $1,000 fine and a maximum six month visit to the slammer.

The law firm is offering the card FREE, and to get your hands on one all you have to do is email helmetcard@gmail.com, put “Helmet Law” in the subject line of the email, and give them your snail-mail address. They’ll pop the card in the mail for you and you should get it pronto.

Want some extra copies to hand out to your pals. Just tell them you want additional wallet cards to pass out and they’ll hook you up…

How and Why the Pros Steal Your Motorcycle A Thief Tells You His Secrets

Todd Halterman — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:58:45 +0000

If you’ve ever had something of yours stolen, you know the feeling.

You get pissed, you feel vulnerable and violated, you want quick, hot, brutal revenge of the kind only a pair of pliers and a ball peen hammer can provide. You want to “get medieval” on whoever laid their filthy paws on your stuff.

The problem is, statistically at least, you’re never going to get that kind of satisfaction. There’s no comforting payback; no justice. Your bike is just gone, and the odds are that you’ll never see it again in one piece.

So why does a thief target a motorcycle?

Simple, they’re generally easy to take and they offer the advantage of being among the most portable high-dollar targets a thief can find. It’s hard to move a television or a piece of antique furniture, but your sport bike was made to move – and it was made to move fast. That makes it a clear target of opportunity, and those are the kinds of items thieves like above all others.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens once a motorcycle is stolen, you came to the right place. I spent a few minutes last night reading this thread, ostensibly written by a “former” motorcycle thief, and it was an eye-opener. The author, whether or not he’s the real deal, makes some excellent observations and reveals some of the plumbing behind how motorcycle theft rings work, and it’s worth a read for that information alone.

So here it is, an inside look at the seamy world of stealing motorcycles, and it comes straight from the horse’s mouth:

It varies depending on yr/make/model/condition. About 10-12 years ago there was an out of state buyer we used to crate bikes to that had the ability to create titles for them who paid $3500 for near new 1000cc supersports. 1,000-1,500 is more typical for super sports. Harleys vary quite a bit depending on model and options, from 1,000 for a basic late model sportster to several thousand for a highly optioned fat boy, road king etc.

Yeah, once, we were doubled up on a bike getting a bike in front of a guys house on his lunch break in broad day light, took a little longer than expected, he came out, we ran back to the other bike hopped on and took off. He didn’t even chase us on his bike, I was surprised. He looked more shocked than anything. This was 10 or 11 years ago and I still remember the look on his face.

I’ve had passers by walk right past, it happened on the very first bike I stole, some lady walked her dogs right passed us. There were two of us in riding gear, two bikes, she didn’t even look twice. We kept working and rode off. This didn’t happen to me, but the guy that got me into all this. He’s getting some bike from an apartment complex in the middle of the day and can’t break the steering. He notices some guy watching him, walks right up to him and says “Hey man, can you give me a hand, the handlebars on my bike are stuck and I’m about to be late for work.” – The guy goes back to the bike and helps him break the steering lock. That guy has some CRAZY stories, he was stone cold and willing to go way way too far. Probably why he’s dead now.

Use? the bikes themselves. Even the slowest bike is faster and more nimble than most cars.

There is this common misconception that a few guys load bikes into trucks and vans. The people who get CAUGHT load bikes into trucks and vans. Your career will be very short if you’re loading a 185mph rocket (that likely has a tracking system) that will outrun the police into the back of an 85mph van that will take you to the scene of your arrest. If you can’t start the bike and ride off then you damn sure can’t find and remove lojack.

In 10-15 years I’ve known a couple dozen thieves and only one that was foolish enough to load bikes into a truck or van for any length of time. He learned to wire them after he was caught, twice, lol.

When I was stealing them it was a part time deal. I had a full time job and just did it here or there. Eventually decided to save all the theft money and came up with 25k and started buying hot bikes. I spent a lot of money to appear legitimate down the road. My goal was to have a legit bike shop, but running a legitimate business was a hell of a lot harder than I thought and took a lot more capital than I had. I only made about 80k/yr after all the overhead. Even now when 80k seems like a tremendous amount of money it still isn’t worth the risk I took.

Which Bikes Are the Most Likely Targets For Thieves

Mostly supersports. They are the most commonly crashed and generally the easiest to find (left outside in nice apartment complexes) Next would be Harleys and for a brief moment in time the high dollar choppers.

Never, ever, never never never, NEVER leave your bike outside at an apartment complex. Especially one with a gated parking garage. The gated parking garage in a mid to high rise apartment building in the nice part of a large city is the number one place for bike thieves to go “shopping.” As far as passive devices go I like the NYC fughetaboutit chain/lock from Kryptonite, the thicker of the two. It needs to go through something like a braced swingarm whenever possible. If you absolutely have to put it through a wheel put it through the rear wheel. It takes much longer to swap than the front wheel. Any $100 disc lock will work well, again, rear wheel, locks on the front are more easily defeated, take my word for it. Cheaper disc locks can be quietly, well, we’ll leave it at that, cheap ones can be defeated in silence. Lo-jack and Lo-Jack w/early warning are pretty good at recovering the bikes from amateurs and semi-pros, but someone who knows what they are doing will remove the lojack system quickly after clearing the area. Still someone even more professional (surprisingly rare) will have somewhere to check/store/breakdown the bike that is rf shielded. The problem with lo-jack is that it doesn’t keep someone from stealing the bike. Even if you get it back in one piece without the police crashing into your bike to catch the thief you’ll still likely have a broken upper triple, damage to the neck of your frame (Steering lock), damage to your ignition, damage to the tank lock, possible damage to the tank itself (rareish) possible damage to the trunk lock , and then your insurance company might fuck you too. It’s much better to not get the bike stolen in the first place. So in addition to lo-jack you want some sort of VISIBLE passive devices to make the thief move on. The paging alarms are somewhat effective, but they aren’t linked to the police. Removing electronic devices is obviously more of a mental challenge than a physical one. The quality of the install is a huge factor here. Hide the lo-jack or alarm in or under the airbox and all the wiring within the factory looms and you’ll have a good set up. However, almost NO dealer tech is this thorough. It’s not his bike, why would he go the extra mile?

Locks and chains. Very few thieves are this thorough, of the dozens of them I knew over the years I only came across one like this, but I knew someone that had a pair of bolt-cutters that weighed a lot, more than a 45lb plate at the gym, and had replaceable cryogenically hardened teeth. They cost several hundred dollars. The high dollar chain lock sets $150+ are worth it. Even the high dollar braided cable locks are good. They can be cut, but it’s a pretty time consuming process.

Personally, if it’s rashed up, looks cosmetically rough, but mechanically sound. Say grips are worn, been dropped on both sides, but the chain is clean and well-adjusted, tires worn hard on the edges, has any signs of safety-wiring for the track etc. It’s lack of value isn’t what I’m looking it. It would remind me of myself once upon a time. I think that’s probably all he’s got, his whole world, it’s not pretty, but he rides the piss out of it. He gets a pass.

More for most people, just what takes time. I’ve known very very few stone cold guys that can sit there for an hour working on a bike. Most people will give it a few seconds, maybe a couple minutes, and if they can’t get it they are gone. What is only seconds feels like an eternity when your freedom and life are on the line. Quality disc lock on the rear wheel, quality chain and lock, lockable bike cover and theft coverage on your insurance. For me, lo-jack isn’t worth the cost. It’s more expensive than theft coverage and after a thief has had his way with the bike I don’t want it back. All can fit in a back pack and aren’t much of a hassle to carry. Never leave it outside very long day or night. If you have to ground anchors are good. I always wondered what was available in a marine application for something like this. Something with a real burly chain/lock.

If you’re temporarily parked outside somewhere a good little FREE anti-theft trick, bring a stubby flathead with you and remove your clutch lever. No clutch lever and they aren’t riding anywhere. Of course if you do this every night outside your apartment they’ll just come back with their own clutch lever.

Also – LOCK YOUR FU***** STEERING – DON’T LEAVE YOUR SPARE KEY IN YOUR TRUNK. I can open your trunk with a butter knife, don’t leave me your fu***** key in there, jesus. Happens more often than you think. Also, don’t leave your TITLE in the trunk, i’ve seen this too often too. Steering locks aren’t that hard to bypass, but they aren’t THAT easy either. Sometimes you get the freak one that doesn’t want to break and you’ll need to come back with a second person. In that time maybe the owner sees the bike and the thief doesn’t get it. Had it been unlocked the bike would be gone.

Again, if you park outside of an apartment and your bike gets stolen, rent a fucking garage or self-storage unit near by to use as a garage. The thief is just going to wait a couple weeks for insurance to replace your bike and come back to check. If someone tries and fails to get your bike the same thing applies. Move it, they WILL be back.

The majority of thieves aren’t that smart and half of those are on drugs, please don’t be dumber than they are.

How It Works From the ‘Fence’ Side of the Fence

Well, for me, it was dumb luck. You had to know someone on the inside and the only real buyers were established salvage yards or dealerships that sold used bikes. When I started America was still using AOL dial-up to connect to the internet.

I was very cautious who I bought from. I was more interested in dealing with the most professional thieves I could find or trying to turn decent ones into professionals. I knew others that weren’t as concerned and bought just about anything from anyone.

Depending on a few factors I generally paid between 1k-1500/bike. From there you can do two things, buy a wrecked bike at auction and use the hot bike as a parts donor, part the rest. Or you can part the bike out from the beginning. This can be done through some B2B channels, through a storefront, or through ebay. Excluding any business overhead, solely based on what you paid for the bike, there is at least a 200-300% mark up. More if you’re willing to sell the motor-kit, but I never did. I parted the motors out too. There was plenty of profit already and motors are traceable. No sense in being overly greedy. I mostly did supersports, but I was open to just about anything, there is a market for it all.

Why Do Bikes Get Targeted and What Happens To Yours When It’s Gone

At first I needed to know there was a buyer for it – call a few guys, if so, it’s on. There were requests for certain bikes/colors etc. At first it was stalking and sitting on them, later it was basically jumping on them.

Once I became the buyer I would buy just about anything from someone I trusted and I also placed orders for things I needed to fix wrecked bikes I had bought to repair and resell.

When I first started I didn’t know shit about electronics and if I cut a siren and the bike wouldn’t start after a couple seconds doing what I knew should start the bike I would walk. I knew other guys who would roll bikes off somewhere safer and work on them for an hour or more. I was NOT that guy. Depends on the location too. I wasn’t very brazen or open to risk. I knew guys that had the confidence in their abilities to grab one in front of large windows in front of busy offices or businesses in broad day light. Personally I didn’t like spending a lot of time at a bike and most guys don’t, but there is that oddball guy with nerves of steel that doesn’t care. Multiple quality devices will stop most thieves or at least get them to go to an easier target. I used to pay $100 for tips on locations and there were always multiple bikes available.

When I first started used dealers and salvage yards. Once I got going as the buyer I would buy wrecked bikes to repair and resell, bare frames to swap onto hot bikes, then resell. I parted bikes through a B2B service, out of a storefront, then ebay as a last resort.

If you want to read the entire thread, and I highly recommend it, you can find it here on Reddit…

Six Crucial Things To Do If You’re Involved in a Motorcycle Accident

Todd Halterman — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:43:12 +0000

Motorcycle accidents have a reputation, and it’s well deserved, for being some of the deadliest traffic accidents going.

You know it, and you ride anyway, but try to keep in mind that motorcycles offer little protection to riders in the event of an accident. And it comes down to this; the injuries you could sustain are generally severe and could well require long recovery periods. That means hospital bills, and you need to make sure you have your ducks in a row to take care of those and other attendant expenses.

In the vast majority of cases, motorcycle accidents are not the biker’s fault. The size difference between a motorcycle and passenger vehicle means motorcycles are harder to see and are frequently lost in the passenger vehicle’s “blind spot.” It’s this simple fact more than any other than means biker’s are often sideswiped (or struck at intersections) by vehicles that simply did not see them.

The cold hard facts go like this: statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that motorcyclists are 32 times more likely to die in an accident than passenger vehicle occupants, and an equally horrifying 6 times more likely to suffer serious injuries.

But if you ride, you already know that.

It’s also important to remember that biker’s are entitled to compensation for injuries due to someone else’s negligence every bit as much as passenger vehicle operators, and to make sure you having a fighting chance at making things right and protecting your family from financial harm, you need to be properly insured.

If you are involved in a motorcycle accident it is important to remember the following things:

1. Report the accident to police, pronto, no waiting until later. The police report is critical to your insurer or lawyer in determining fault.

2. Record the names and statements of witnesses to your accident. Take pictures and record any unusual circumstances or whether that may have contributed to the accident. This will be especially useful should your case go to court.

3. Do not speak with any insurance agents or adjusters that may show up at the scene. This is an unscrupulous tactic sometimes used to get people to admit fault or say something that could hurt their claim.

4. Call your insurance company to report the accident, and do this immediately. Do not speak with the other party’s insurance carrier. Let your motorcycle accident injury lawyer or insurance company deal with them.

5. Even if you feel you’ve beaten the odds and failed to sustain a serious injury, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a physician. Some brain injuries don’t show up right away and insurance companies will be reluctant to pay for an injury later on if you haven’t documented the cause at the time of the crash.

6. Take as many pictures as your cell phone or camera will hold, and do it for your friends if they’re involved in an accident.

Why A MotoGuzzi Makes the Perfect Cafe Racer

Todd Halterman — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:21:46 +0000

So what is it that makes the perfect base metal on which to build a classic cafe racer?

First, it should have some sort of roadworthy pedigree. It needs to have “classic bike” appeal. It needs to handle without drama. It should be capable of decent top-end speed. A low-slung stance doesn’t hurt. A bulletproof motor is a plus. Simple, easy-to-reweave electrical systems are a bonus as well.

And above all?

Brakes. A cafe racer needs stop-short-of-everything-on-the-road brakes to bring you to a halt if anything pops up in your way as you crank it through the twisties.

A real aficionado will tell you, and I heartily concur, that a true cafe racer has to be capable of meeting or exceeding 100 mph flat out when you screw on the throttle. It was, after all, the credo of the original cafe racers, so “doing the ton” should probably factor into the equation somewhere along the line.

So there’s my list of must-haves for the delightful cafe racer.

And here’s how the team at Kaffee-Maschine go about putting one together:

Moto Guzzi´s classic V2-engine and frame are the basis of these unique cafe racers and custom builds. To fulfill your individual ideas and wishes, all motorcycles and parts are exclusively handcrafted. By optimization of engine and suspension plus elementary technical reduction, pure riding machines are created.

www.kaffee-maschine.net/html/en/html/machine4_7.php/

Le Mans 4 basis, 1040ccm, 90hp, 102NM, 191kg (dry)
Built for: Jost Uhrmacher, DE

Le Mans 2 frame, Le Mans 4 engine/transm., tuning by HTMoto, 1040ccm, 95hp, 173kg (dry)

Le Mans 3 basis, 950ccm, 82hp, 180kg (dry)
Built for: Gustav Larsson, MC

The oldest example from the gallery above, photographed in Florence, Italy, is a reasonable facsimile of the Guzzi that raced at the Isle of Man TT in 1926 and shown in the video below:

And if you’re so inclined (and within riding distance of ChiTown) check out the Mods vs. Rockers event this year on the weekend of of Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16:

Chicago Mods vs Rockers 2012 Teaser

The Motorcycle as Objet D’art

Todd Halterman — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:48:34 +0000

More and more lately, the world is catching up to what we all know well; a motorcycle, at it’s most refined and realized, is an object of high art.

The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, IN, is offering up a gallery exhibit of sublime motorcycles. Assembled by curator White Wolf James, the current exhibit pays homage to Western culture and two-wheeled transportation.

The motorcycle as high art? About damn time if you ask us.

At their best, motorcycles have a built-in set of metaphorical connections to human experience and the the very idea of a motorcycle strikes a chord within nearly everyone on the planet. The list of associations and imagery related to motorcycles is a long one indeed. From freedom to anarchy to danger and fear, the motorcycle inspires nearly the whole range of human emotion – for good or for ill depending upon your frame of reference.

Indian motorcycle by renowned motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter

The Focus of the Exhibit

James, the curator of this particular paean to all things bikes, says the focus of his collection is very specific.

“All of the bikes are related to the West,” James said. “They have Western subject matter or are related to Western people. Evel Knievel jumped in Butte, Mont. Most of his famous jumps were in the West. People should come see the exhibit and see how it fits into our mission.”

And putting them all in one place? Not an easy climb for him at all as he had to badger the owners of these prime machines to get them to museum.

Among them, Former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado was convinced to send his ’98 Harley-Davidson Road King to be included, and it was no mean feat to cajole the Smithsonian to send Evel Knievel’s bike (along with a priceless 1902 Indian)

According to James, most of the bikes are from private collections and many have rarely – if ever – been displayed for the public .

“It was by the skin of my teeth that I was able to get some of these bikes. I still can’t believe it all came together, ” he said.

So What Can You Eyeball in the Collection?

There are some 24 bikes which include six Indians, 13 Harley-Davidsons and custom-built machines from Orange County Choppers and Cowboy Customs. The oldest? The 1902 Indian. The newest? A custom board track racer designed and built specifically for the museum show by Cut Throat Customs.

You’ll recognize several. A special section with three movie bikes includes the Harley-Davidson “Dragon Bike” ridden by Peter Fonda in “The Wild Angels,” 1968 Harley-Davidson “Captain America” motorcycle used in “Easy Rider” and a copy of the 1953 Harley-Davidson “Chino” Bobber ridden in “The Wild One.”

The most famous machine in the exhibit is easily Evel Knievel’s 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750. This is the bike the American stuntman and cultural icon crashed during his attempt to jump 13 buses at London’s Wembley Stadium.

James has also done his home work and has a clear understanding of the evolution of cultural attitudes toward motorcycles and the people who have felt compelled to ride them over the years.

“Before World War II, motorcycling in America was clean wholesome fun,” James said. “They were popular with women and movie stars.”

Police On the Hunt For Shooter of Black Sabbath MC Member Wild Dogg

Todd Halterman — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:12:02 +0000

San Diego police say they’re on the hunt for the drive-by shooter who gunned down the president of the Black Sabbath Motorcycle Club in the driveway of the group’s clubhouse.

Detectives say they’ve yet to come up with a motive the killing of Clyde Thompson Jr., 51, known to his fellow club members as “Wild Dogg.” Thompson was the president of the original chapter of the Black Sabbath Motorcycle Club. They say Thompson was working on his bike with a friend when an SUV pulled up and a passenger in that vehicle opened fire. The San Diego police say Thompson was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

According the the club’s Facebook page:

“We continue to struggle to cope with the sobering reality that despite four decades of peaceful, non-violent existence, we awake this Mother’s Day Sunday having suffered the cowardly, brutal assassination of a Black Sabbath M.C. President, Wild Dogg.”

According to the club, Black Sabbath MC was founded in 1972 by seven black men who liked to take Sunday rides together. The group calls itself “a multicultural club headquartered in Atlanta with 17 chapters nationwide.”

It was only late last year that Thompson took over as president of what is now known as the “mother chapter” in San Diego.

John, “Black Dragon” Bunch, the group’s national president who lives in Georgia, said members have historically been servicemen and tradesman who adopted their colorful nicknames to avoid misunderstandings with employers.

“We don’t have a motorcycle club that has a reputation for trouble, so we can’t imagine who would have the need or the desire to hurt one of our members.” Bunch said. “Clyde was a problem-solver, he was not a troublemaker.”

Thompson was survived by a long-term girlfriend and two daughters.

BSMC member Larry Blackman said Thompson was a “family man” and a “real nice guy.”

“He was well loved and like by everyone especially on the motorcycle side. I want him to be remembered as a real loving guy, family guy, brother and President of our Club,” Blackman said.

According to Blackman, the Friday night when the shooting occurred was a “Bike Night” at the group’s clubhouse and the group of bikers were playing cards, dominoes and watching television when the shooting occurred.

A History of the BMW Motorcycle

Todd Halterman — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:07:37 +0000

The History of BMW Motorcycles

1916 – WWII

In 1916, two companies, Flugzenmaschinenfabrik and Flugwerke Deutschland, merged to form the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke or Bavarian Airplane Works intent on designing and manufacturing airplane engines. Later, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was renamed the Bayerische Motoren Werke and it became what we now know as Bavarian Motor Works in 1917. The brainchild of Karl Rapp and Max Friz, the company’s logo represents an airplane propeller in the blue sky, and it has become one of the most recognized pieces of design in the world. It is, of course, still used today on all BMW motorcycles and automobiles.

A former Daimler employee, Joseph Popp, became BMW’s managing director.

Back in the day, and using funds from the German air force, BMW began manufacturing the Fokker DV II, but the fortunes of the company took an evil turn in 1919 with the end of WWI and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. At that time, Germany was forbidden to manufacture airplanes, so without a viable alternative, Max Friz, BMW’s head designer, turned his attentions to motorcycle and automobile engine manufacturing to keep the company in business.

And that proved to be an excellent choice.

It took Friz less than a month to design the horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine known today as a “boxer” engine which gives the BMW motorcycle it’s instantly-recognizable profile. The first boxer engine, M2B15, was based on a British design, and while it proved to be a moderate success, the development of the first light alloy cylinder head led to the creation of a second, more successful version of the powerplant. In 1923 with the debut of the first BMW motorcycle, the R32, the new aluminum alloy cylinder heads found their ideal application. Friz designed a 486cc engine with an 8.5 hp output – and a top speed of 60 mph – which took the motorcycling world by storm. That engine and gear box formed a single unit and featured a recirculating wet-sump oiling system – very advanced stuff for 1923. The design laid waste to the total-loss oiling systems of the time, and this advancement proved so successful that it stayed in production until 1969.

As it turned out, the innovations of the R32 were to become the foundation for all future boxer-powered BMW motorcycles. By orienting the boxer engine with the cylinder heads sticking out horizontally to aid cooling, BMW went manufacturers who aligned the cylinders with the frame (one cylinder facing towards the front the other towards the back), the company solved a major problem and went other makers one better.

But what made the R32 such a monumental success was the inclusion of a shaft drive system, and BMW continued to use shaft drives in all their motorcycles until the introduction of the F650 in 1994. The F650 series is, to this day, the only model BMW which does not use shaft drive.

Another killer innovation came in 1935 as BMW introduced the first production motorcycle to use telescopic forks.

Add some overhead cam technology to the improved handling of the era’s BMW bikes and what do you get? You get one Ernst Henne taking a supercharged 500cc overhead cam BMW 173.88 MPH – in 1937. Henne’s ride set a world record which stood for 14 years. Henne went on to live a long and placid life in business and philanthropy and died at the age of 101 in 2005.

World War II – 1960

The end of World War II left BMW, as it did most of Germany, in a pile of rubble. The company’s plant near Munich was leveled by allied bombing and an entire assembly line at the BMW Eisenach facility was dismantled by the Soviets as part of the spoils of war and shipped off to Russia. That line and tooling were reassembled in Irbit, Russia as ultimately used to make what we now know as Ural motorcycles. The company took another brutal hit following the war as the terms of Germany’s surrender forbade BMW from manufacturing motorcycles. The lion’s share of BMW’s top engineers were whisked off the United Strates and Russia to continue their work on jet engines which BMW had only begun designing and producing at the close of the war years.

When the ban on motorcycle production was finally lifted, BMW once again set to work. As no plans, blueprints, or schematic drawings survived the war, BMW’s new roster of engineers took what prewar motorcycles they could find to reverse-engineer new sets of plans, drawings and tooling. It took until 1948 for the first run of postwar BMW motorcycles to make it into production, but by 1949, BMW had produced 9,200 units and production reached 17,000 units by 1950.

By 1951 BMW introduced the first true sport motorcycle, the R68, and it featured a 594cc single cam engine with 7.5:1 compression ratio, improved carburetors and larger valves. A crushing dropoff in motorcycle sales in 1957 sent three of BMW’s major German competitors out of business, and the company pounced while the iron was hot. BMW produced 30,000 motorcycles in 1954 and by 1957, while that number fell to 5,500, the company exported 85% of its boxer twin powered motorcycles to the United States in the late 1950′s through Butler & Smith, Inc., the exclusive U.S. importer of BMW motorcycles and cars.

The company once again found a foothold as in June of 1959, John Penton took his BMW R69 from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hrs. and 11 min. That record smashed the previous mark of of 77 hrs. 53 min. set by Earl Robinson on a 45 cubic inch Harley-Davidson, and it gave the company the notoriety it needed to push into the growing – and enormous – American market for motorcycles.

1960 – 1984

Sales of BMW motorcycles were strong in the U.S., but BMW was once again in financial trouble overall, but the sell-off of the company’s aircraft engine division and some financing from German industrialist Herbert Quandt insured the survival of the company. Quandt’s investment proved a shrewd move which garnered him outlandish returns, as part of the turnaround in the company’s fortunes came from BMW’s increasing success in the automotive division. It was during this period that BMW offered the last of their single-cylinder models, the R27, and those bikes are now highly-prized by collectors.

1984 – 2012

Early in 1983, BMW introduced a 1000cc, in-line 4 cylinder, water cooled engine to the European market.

This bike, the K100 was introduced to the US market the following year and the company hoped it would be the basis for new models and serve as a replacement for the boxer flat twin engine. It just didn’t happen and demand for the venerable boxer-powered models did not suffer with the introduction of the new powerplant. The inline four turned out to be relatively popular after a cool initial reception, but the demand for models with the new engine did not meet the company’s expectations. BMW stayed the course and continued to produce boxer models and the new models began to get a foothold with riders as well.

In 1985, a 750cc, three cylinder version of the new 4 cylinder water cooled engine debuted, and it featured counterbalancing and was very, very smooth.

The R100RT boxer-powered sport touring bike which followed featured a monolever rear suspension. BMW introduced new rear suspension on their K-model bikes as well, and those included a double joined single sided swing arm.

In 1989 BMW introduced a full-fairing sport bike, the K1 which was essentially based on the K100 engine. It too featured 4 valves per cylinder and a beefy output close to 100 bhp.

In 1988 BMW introduced ABS on their motorcycles, yet another first for the motorcycle industry, and ABS became a standard fitting on all BMW K models.

Now dubbed BMW Motorrad, all company motorcycle production is done in Berlin, Germany with some engines which are manufactured in Austria, China, and Taiwan. BMW Motorrad produced 82,631 motorcycles in 2009, and that compares with 104,220 in 2008. That 20% dropoff coincides with a like drop in sales industry wide.

The most popular current BMW models, the R1200GS and the R1200GS Adventure, sold 24,467 units and accounted for more than a quarter BMW’s annual motorcycle production. The current lineup includes a variety of shaft, chain, and belt driven models and engines from 450 cc to 1,649 cc. In 2008, BMW introduced the DOHC Boxer HP2 Sport, and began to compete seriously in offroad events with the G450X.

The current BMW Motorrad output is categorized by “product families,” each family being assigned a different letter prefix:

C series – Maxi-scooters called Urban Mobility Vehicles by BMW
F series – parallel-twin engines of 798 cc capacity, featuring either chain or belt drive. Models are F650GS, F800GS, F800R, F800S and F800ST.
G series – single-cylinder engines of 449 to 652 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are G450X, G650GS (available in some markets), G650 Xmoto, G650 Xchallenge and G650 Xcountry. The 450 cc engines are manufactured by Kymco in Taiwan. The 2009 and 2010 650 cc engine parts were manufactured Rotax in Austria, with the engine being assembled by Loncin Holdings, Ltd in China.
R series – twin-cylinder boxer engines of 1,170 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are R1200GS, R1200R, R1200RT and R1200S.
K series – four-cylinder engines of 1,157 to 1,649 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are K1200LT, K1300GT, K1300R and K1300S. In 2011, BMW Motorrad launched the six-cylinder 1,649 cc K1600GT and K1600GTL.
S1000RR – sport bike with transverse-mounted, 999 cc inline-four engine

Harley-Davidson Stock Dips After Solid First Quarter Sales

Todd Halterman — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:08:55 +0000

Blame good early-season riding weather.

Shares of Harley-Davidson nosedived yesterday due mostly to concerns that there might be a slowdown in demand for H-D’s high-end bikes. The stock tumble comes on the heels of a 26 percent jump in sales during the first quarter of this year, but Harley-Davidson dealers say U.S. retail sales only went up between 1 percent and 3 percent in April and early May.

So why the sudden drop in fortunes after a stretch of solid performance?

The Motor Company recently announced that first-quarter profits were up a healthy 44 percent on strong U.S. demand for its machines, but company spokespersons said unusually warm winter and spring weather around the U.S. prompted some riders to buy early, and those early-season buyers drained off sales which would usually occur as the weather improves. They added that the company was ready for the slowdown and weren’t taken by surprise when sales moderated during the initial stages of the second quarter.

There are other forces in play among investors. They may well be worried about the news that some Harley-Davidson dealers says sales are hurting due to shortages of inventory, and while growing scarcity should help boost prices and margins for dealers, it does slow down traffic in showrooms over the long haul.

Harley-Davidson Inc. stock prices fell $2.40, or 4.7 percent, to $48.27 after dropping as low as $48.04 earlier in the day on Friday.

Overall, the news is nothing but good for the Men of Milwaukee as vver the past 52 weeks, the Motor Company’s shares have traded between $31.50 and $54.32. Since the beginning of this year, Harley shares have gained about 30 percent, and that makes the long-term outlook good for the iconic maker of American motorcycles.