Bikesbeauties2010's Blog

SERVICE WITH STEVE-O

bikesbeauties2010 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:38:48 +0000

www.bikesbeauties.com BIKES & BEAUTIES • AUGUST 2011

OK I know, I wrote about “Customizing” last month, but the H.B.I.C said she wanted to continue that theme, and you know the old saying, what the H.B.I.C wants, she gets (besides, she signs my checks every month).
So last month we looked at a stock bike that we built for a really big guy, he is 300 lbs. and about 6’ 2”. He needs lots of stretching space, and this gentleman loves power! So that was the brief, fast and big enough to stretch out on.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, we had a customer
who required the exact opposite. He owns a CVO Road Glide and he (like me) is built low to the ground. Initially we lowered the bike front and rear, but the gentleman was still on the balls of his feet which can be a problem, and he was leaving on a long trip to the northeast. So we tailored the bike to his needs by installing a “drop seat” kit that brought the seat height down another
3”. Now he is flat footed on the ground and has renewed his love affair with the bike!
So, where do we start for you? Let’s get you up on the bike and see how you fit. How are the handlebars? Are you sitting upright? Do you have a slight bend in your elbows? If you answered no to any of these questions, we may be on our way to different handlebars in order to get you in a comfortable position. Or, maybe the handlebars are fine but your knees are up under your chin. Forward controls could move the brake and shifter forward from mid-engine to up by the frame down tubes enabling
you to stretch out on the road!
Another great way to fit you to the bike is trying a different
seat; there are seats for reduced reach, extended reach, touring seats, heated seats, solo seats, and even air seats!!!!!
Here at the shop, we have a demo bike that is set up with different handlebars, seats, which lets us custom tailor a bike to you. What a great thing!
And it gets better! HD has on the HD website a section
called “The Customizer”
where you can go and select your bike, and then accessories for it. It only lets you select parts that go on your bike! You can create the list, print it and bring it to the shop, or name it and save it; then we can download it here. It’s a great thing! Remember, HD allows you 60 days after you buy your new bike to purchase and install accessories and they will be covered under the 2 year factory warranty, you can’t beat that.
OK, so now we have looked at handlebars, seats, foot controls, there are more options for you. We can lower the suspension on most models so you are real sure footed. There are lowering kits for rear suspension, front forks, and they can be done together, or some like to start with the rear end and see if it is enough.
Now, we have your bike configured to you, it feels great and looks pretty good, but we can go a bit further with custom paint. You know nothing makes your bike stand out like custom
paint. How many times have you been to your favorite
bike night and that one bike is always around with that paint set that just blows you away, you always
check that bike out, don’t you!
Listen, the possibilities are just endless, all it takes is you, your bike, and a knowledgeable individual you can trust. Then it’s time to play and enjoy the transformation
of a bike to your bike!

Enjoy yourself, think safe, ride safe, and be safe.

Stop and Smell the Roses

bikesbeauties2010 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:09:47 +0000

Sometimes, you gotta stop and smell the roses. This was one of those times. I could barely contain myself. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted
a motorcycle. I even clipped baseball cards to the fender of my Schwinn Stingray bicycle, so they would flutter against the spokes to make motorcycle-
like noises. I always wanted to ride – the further and longer, the better. Well, that didn’t happen for a long time. No particular reason, just the usual things: getting married, working, having kids, a mortgage, bills to pay, getting divorced, alimony, college tuitions,
yada, yada, yada. Finally, sometime between Hanukah and Christmas in 2003, I decided to stick my toe in the swimming pool of motorcycling and bought my first bike: a beautiful, pearl white Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom. My wife Carolyn and I literally forged our relationship on “Mr. Harley” riding together, two up, nearly 17,000 miles in what seemed like the blink of an eye. It’s a good thing we splurged on the fat, cushy touring seat.
The Sporty was a great bike, and we will always
share many fond memories of the times we spent on it. But, while we both loved our Sporty, over time I just couldn’t shake the vague feeling that something was missing in our motorcycling relationship, even after Carolyn got her own Sportster.
The feeling was particularly strong whenever some Road King, Softtail or ElectraGlide would pass us by on the highway, seemingly effortlessly, as the wind buffeted us about on our trusty, but lighter and higher revving Sporty.
So, with increasing frequency I found myself stopping by Petersons Harley Davidson on some pretense to “just look” at all the new “big” bikes. They were beautiful and impressive. It seemed that even if I were to get over the sticker shock, and commit to spending so many hard earned after-tax dollars, picking just one of these many magnificent machines, alone, would be a nearly impossible task. How does one choose between the enduring, retro-classic beauty of a Road King, the easy handling of the Heritage Softail or the living room like comfort of an ElectraGlide? This dragged on for a couple of years. Finally, two days before my 53rd birthday, it happened. Carolyn and I spotted her right away, poised confidently, but demurely on the showroom
floor, like some heavenly, evening gowned Miss America pageant finalist: she was a white/gold flake Street Glide, with hard saddlebags, chromed front end, Stage One pipes, and a fairing with instrumentation
. . . and a Harmon Kardon sound system/CD player. This was the one! So, I did what I always do – I called my friend Bob for advice. He offered his sage wisdom: “Dan, how long are you gonna wait . . . till you’re 60?” I couldn’t argue with that logic. So, the next night (a Thursday) I headed over to Fuddruckers
(Betty’s Best Burgers) to talk up some of the Peterson folks in a neutral, laid back environment.
They came through for me. The next day, my birthday, I took the plunge. Back to Petersons I went, on my trusty Sporty, with my checkbook in my pocket; an hour or so later I headed home on my new Street Glide.
Carolyn and I immediately proceeded to do what we always do in times like these: we loaded up the saddlebags with some clothes and a bottle of Mr. Jack’s finest Old No. 7 and headed to the Southernmost
House in Key West for the weekend. What a ride. On the road, this bike is as smooth as silk, and despite its weight of nearly 800 pounds, even a 5’10” 160 pound lawyer like me can easily handle it, two up with fully loaded saddlebags! Now we know what its like to glide effortlessly down the interstate,
laughing in the face of crosswinds, while our 96 cubic inch V-twin engine loafs along at a mere 2100 rpm in sixth gear!
OK, honestly? This bike wasn’t cheap. And, I did think long and hard about how I’ll make ends meet when I retire, my kids’ education, the uncertain
economy, the skyrocketing cost of food and gas, the disappearing value of our house, and the wisdom – or lack thereof – of parting with so many hard earned after-tax dollars. Not to mention the cost of insurance. But, how long was I going to wait . . . till I’m 60? Nope, I don’t think so. Sometimes, you gotta stop and smell the roses. So, we did. And we still are. It’s been a few years now, and you know what? It was worth every penny.

Ride Safe,
Dan

Helmet Law

bikesbeauties2010 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:58:37 +0000

WHY HELMET LAWS SHOULD NOT MATTER
Fourth of July weekend should be all about celebrating the freedom we Americans enjoy as a people. For me, that meant riding my motorcycle at a brisk pace through coastal Marin and Sonoma counties in Northern California, and then floating for many hours in the cool Russian River. For Philip Contos, a member of the Onondaga, NY ABATE chapter, that meant riding his Harley helmetless to an anti-helmet protest rally. What was probably a mellow group ride turned into a nightmare when Contos had to stop suddenly, apparently over-braking, fishtailing and then getting thrown over the handlebars. He suffered a fractured skull and was dead at the scene. The state patrol said he would have survived had he been wearing a helmet. That his death was sadly ironic is indisputable. That he was a warrior for bikers’ rights isn’t.
I am not writing this to advocate for helmet laws. I’m asking, rhetorically, why we even need them in the first place. I understand that Americans cherish their freedom and don’t like being told by government what to do, but there are lots of dangerous activities that aren’t outlawed in 20 states the way riding helmetless is. As far as I know, you can run with scissors, juggle scorpions, ride laps in your closed garage or barbeque indoors in California or New York. But why would you want to?
We all know, except for those with a high capacity for self-delusion, that helmets greatly reduce the incidence of head injury. We also know that most helmets are impacted on the chin bar or temple in crashes. We also know that the alleged disadvantages of helmet use—discomfort, reduced hearing and visibility and risk of neck injury are either nonexistent or exaggerated. And yet, riders in states without helmet laws use their helmets less than 50 percent of the time. Why? Nobody will say why they don’t want to wear a helmet, although my suspicion is that it has to do with the orthodoxy of the Harley-Davidson-oriented cruiser culture; my grandpa didn’t wear a helmet, my friends don’t wear helmets, so I don’t need one either. Sportbikers aren’t immune to the siren song of riding helmetless, but I think they just like to show off how fearless they are.
Why they prefer riding helmetless is seldom vocalized. Instead, the helmetless biker will quickly elevate the conversation to a philosophical (and interesting) one about the rights of man, the role of government, the fate of free men in a Nanny State. But I have yet to hear a cogent argument as to why it’s a good idea to ride bare-headed. Just making a short trip? Many crashes happen a short distance from home (when I found that out I moved, yet I keep crashing). Maybe you won’t be going that fast or you’re staying off the Interstate? That’s another absurdity—most crashes happen on city streets, at speeds under 30 mph. “I’ll just be taking it easy today.” Silliness. If we could pick what day we were going to crash, we’d just stay at home and ride on the day we know we’re not crashing on (if you’re scheduling a crash, mid-week is great, as the emergency rooms have shorter lines). Anti-helmet-law advocates rightly point out that helmets don’t prevent crashes. True enough, but they sure do lessen the consequences. Face it—you can’t tell anybody it’s logical to ride without a helmet (and other safety gear) every time you ride.
So I can say, confidently, that helmet laws don’t affect me. Why? Because no matter where I am, from Cozumel to Cuyahoga, I am going to be wearing a full-face lid. I could care less if I have the “right” to ride without. I could jab a golf tee into my eye as well, but I won’t be heading to an AGOTE (Association to jab GOlf Tees in my Eye) meeting anytime soon. I’ll be riding my motorcycle.
How do we keep “The Man” off our backs and get helmet laws repealed in 50 states? By getting helmet usage up to 80 percent or better so that the benefits of a law would disappear. If the general public—81 percent of whom think helmet use should be mandatory—saw us wearing helmets, they would leave us alone (so long as we also had acceptably quiet exhausts, but that’s a discussion for another day). Believe it.
So please just wear your freakin’ (and full-face) helmet. There are many more motorcycle-related issues, like insurance discrimination, lane-sharing and use of public land that could productively harness your energy.

Good Biker Stories

bikesbeauties2010 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:43:01 +0000

ALICAT’S FIRST WEEK OF RIDING
FIRST RIDE, DRAGONFLY & ALL!
by Allicat
I have wanted to ride my own Harley Davidson for 24 years. My husband had a few Harleys in his time. When I meet him he had a 1977 Low Rider®. I loved being on that bike. We married in 1980 and by 1984 he sold the bike. This was the bike that he rode back and forth from New Jersey to Florida a few times a year. One year he went from New Jersey to New Orleans then to Daytona Beach for Bike week. From 1978 to 2003 I had always wanted to ride my own bike. And I remember telling him I wanted to ride his bike on numerous occasions he would reply, “Not on my bike”.
In 2000 we bought a 1999 883C Sportster and again I was on the back. Even on the back I loved riding. We began going on different events with the Sportster, poker runs, Biff Burgers Bike night, and more and more women where riding their own bikes. After talking with different women and hearing how they took a riding class and now they ride, I wanted to do the same. My husband bought a 2003 Softail Deuce the hundred year anniversary model in February. He put the Sportster in the paper even though I told him I wanted to ride it. However I could not reach the ground sitting on the seat. I began pushing for different shocks, handle bars and a slimmer seat. As time passed we had only a few calls on the Sportster.
Finally in March I signed up for the class and had to wait until April. The riding class was Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. By Saturday night I rolled the Sportster out of the garage my husband and son were trying to talk me out of riding it around the block, of course they won. My husband surprised me by coming down to the class on Sunday with my bike. He changed the seat and put a lowering kit on her. She was perfect in every way. After the class on Sunday I was ready and no one was going to tell me different. I came home from class at 3:00 pm. and asked my husband if he wanted to go for a ride. His answer was no and that I should only go around the circle we live on. He went on to say that he could not ride that slow and did not intend on riding with me at all.
I did as he said at first, two times around the circle was enough, I told him I would be back later and off I went. Once I was down the street I headed for a close area by my home. I soon became bored and came back home. I asked Michael if he wanted to go with me again and he said no so I was off. This time I went visiting on the other side of town, the ride was so great. I was in love again that was the feeling I had and still do. After venturing out, I got home and again asked Michael if he wanted to go with me. This time he gave in and we rode together for the first time. I wanted him to lead and he said no you go first but as time went on he did take the lead.
The following weekend we took off from Pinellas Park to Old Town Florida on the bikes, a three hour ride. We had a great time going and coming. At first when reaching speeds of 70 mph I thought what did I got myself into. My helmet was bothering me and I was wearing and eating a lot of bugs. But on the way back I got a face shield and all was well. In closing I have been out and about by myself and love being in the wind and feeling free. I’m looking forward to more rides with my husband and my good friends.
by Chris S.
Well, we finally pulled back into our street at noon. High noon, and boy do I mean high. It was so hot that pulling my boots took several tries as my husband lowered the trailer ramp and untied Lil’ Boy Blue, our first bike, a Honda Rebel, in blue of course. Finally finished getting all the safety gear on and straddled him. Placed him in neutral and gently, with Ralph guiding and holding on to the rear for extra support, let him roll off the back of the U-haul. You could feel how anxious he was. How anxious I was. Then all of that melted away as I looked up and saw a Dragonfly hovering just inches from my helmet as if too say, “This is nothing. You can do this. Both of you can.”
So I pulled the clutch in, turned the fuel on, placed my hand over the front brake and pressed the button. *GROWL* He said as he came to life. So ready to be ridden. I gently let the clutch out and pulled on the throttle a little. He was out like a shot of lightening! I yanked the clutch in and let go of the throttle as if to say “Whoa, fella, not so fast just yet.” A few more stop starts in that jerky motion and slow, engine off, turn around and sailed smoothly home and into the drive. OMG my first right turn and I didn’t drop! I gently killed the engine and promised a longer ride in the evening as I walked him into his new home. Safe and secure in our humble lil’ garage.
He’s was finally home and I finally had my first ride. We both sighed happily. I stripped off my riding gear that was dripping with my sweat and went inside.

HOLY DUCK FACE!

bikesbeauties2010 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 22:46:59 +0000

Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, must be a duck, Oh wait! It’s NOT a duck…
Just another dumb chic making a duck face! You all know what I am talking about, don’t act like you don’t know; you’ve seen it! For whatever reason more and more women; all ages really; are pouting and puckering their lips in honor of our billed friend, Mr. Duck. I cannot help but wonder what the hell they are thinking! Do they not know what they look like to the rest of us? Did they think to look in the mirror? When the rest of the world is looking at a duck, how is it that they see something attractive?
Listen, it’s NOT attractive! It looks ridiculous! It’s almost as bad as over-injecting yourself with Restylane or any of the other myriad of facial fillers. Bigger is not always better, ladies! So take a deep breath and think! If you have self image problems maybe you should seek the counseling of a paid professional before you pucker and pout at our lenses. The camera certainly doesn’t like the look and neither do the rest of us! If you think it’s cute, rest assured it isn’t! Men do not see the pucker and pout and think you are sexy! They look at you and think to themselves, “Why does she keep doing that?” or “Ah, it’s so cute when she makes that silly face.” Neither of which mean; damn girl that duck face makes you look hot! It’s a duck face!! It is NOT hot! Please I am begging all of you; pucker and pout behind closed doors, we are sick of looking at your “Holy Duck Face!!”
Just in case any of you have been locked in a hole for the past few years let me allow UrbanDictionary.com to enlighten you. Google “duck face;” you will find the fol¬lowing:
1. Pushing your lips together in the combination of a pout and a puck¬er, giving the impression you have larger cheekbones and bigger lips.
2. Stupid facial expression put forth by stupid women that don’t know how to smile. The face of reference is made by moving both lips as far up and outward as possible. Commonly seen in photos of slutty women where the lighting is too high up and they’re taking photos of themselves in the mirror or with their phone reversed.
3. A facial expression utilized by attention-seeking girls where they push their lips outward to give the appearance of large pouty lips.
4. The face in which one puckers out their lips, giving them the appearance of a duck. Usually seen in Facebook or Myspace pictures taken by unattractive girls because they get the impression that it makes them look better.
And just in case you need it to be used in a sentence because you don’t get it; they have a few exam¬ples, here you go:
1. “Oh Lord, Look at that horrific duck face”
2. “Stop doing that duck face you look stupid”
3. “She put on a duck face the moment she pulled out her camera”
4. “Why does she make a duck face in everyone of her profile pictures?”
5. “What is she trying to accomplish with that duck face, she looks bad”

STUPID TV

bikesbeauties2010 — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:49:49 +0000

Ok! How f#$%cked up is humanity when there are television shows like, “My Big Fat Redneck Wedding”, “Dog The Bounty Hunter” and “Jersey Shore” all making these idiots on them celebri-ties? I mean WTF!!!! We are somehow moving backwards in evolution. Not exactly sure how but, it’s happening! I was channel surfing and came across My Big Fat Redneck Wedding and was floored by the shit that people were doing to get on TV. It all started with Jerry Springer which I will admit was entertaining but, enough is enough. I’m probably shooting myself in the foot because I’m sure some people read my ar¬ticle just to see what I’m going to rant and rave about.
How did Dog Chapman aka The Bounty Hunter get on TV? He has the largest mullet I have ever seen!! Granted I’m a redneck myself but come on, they chase fugitives in para military outfits with these Hugh pepper spray guns and his wife is just white trash fabulous with her long ass nails and huge boobs sticking out! I’m sure they are really nice people but, is this who we want our kids picking as role models? Let’s see now!! How about Jersey Shore with the Guido crap show where we have this short fat drunk slut called Snooki making a complete ass of herself for our viewing entertainment. It’s not enter¬tainment it’s freaking disgrace! Then they have a guy who simply calls himself The Situation who walks around pulling his shirt up and he is on every talk show on air. People are seeing this show and thinking this is the way to act it’s just not. How did this happen? What the f#$%ck happened to the days of Leave It To Beaver and Happy Days? God I sound like my grandfather but shit it’s true!!
All that these stupid reality shows do, is dumb us down and help dumb-ass people find ways to be bigger dumb-assess! At some point we have to stop making all these idiots celebri¬ties and start making real people that accom¬plish something good our celebrities and kids role models!
Capt. Mike

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER.

bikesbeauties2010 — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:34:22 +0000

IT IS A BLESSING TO BE ABLE TO POKE FUN AT THE WORLD AND MYSELF ON A MONTHLY BASIS AND I DO BELIEVE I HAVE LEFT NO-ONE OUT IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. I AM AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ASSHOLE, WHETHER YOU ARE BLACK, WHITE, JEWISH, MUSLIM, OR LEARNING DISABLED IT DOESN’T MATTER, AT SOME POINT I WILL GET AROUND TO YOU. THERE IS ONE GROUP I HAVE YET TO TOUCH ON AND I THINK IT IS ABOUT TIME I GIVE THEM THEIR DO, THE AMERICAN SOLDIER.
If you watch the liberal media coverage on the Military it is made out to be the place you go when you have no other options. The judge gives you a choice between jail or service or as Stephen King thinks “You either get an education or you join the Army”, both portraying them as uneducated gullible people that if they were smart enough would never find themselves on a dusty hillside somewhere in Afghanistan. They always forget the facts though, a higher percentage of people in the Service have graduated from college then the general population. What all these jerk offs on the left will never get is that they are better than them.
They always talk about different athletes or Hollywood stars and how they are role models for children but are they? If I had a son, I would make sure he heard the story of every Medal of Honor winner their ever was and if they wanted to look up to an athlete fine, I’d buy him Pat Tillman’s rookie card and tell him how after 9/11 Pat quit the NFL and all the money so he could go defend his Country. These men and women are the best this Country has to offer and they don’t get the recognition they deserve and you know what, they don’t want it. Because unlike some jerk off Hollywood star that donates a million dollars to charity and then gives a press conference so everyone can say what a great person they are a soldier just gets back to work.
They live by a code of Honor and Integrity so much of this Country lost years ago. All they want is to know that what they did was not in vain and that they mean something to us. A simple thank you and a handshake will do even though we owe them so much more but we continue to fail at that as a nation. There should be no such thing as a homeless Veteran and they should receive the best medical care money can buy but we continue to treat them as second class citizens when they get home and our President likes to use their coffins as a photo op. Sometimes I really wonder where we are going as a Country. Every other flag I see flying has tears in it and they have taken the pledge out of our schools. Slowly they are trying to remove everything that makes America, America. So every time you see them take a moment to say thank you, trust me it means something to them and remember that as long as they are around to show us how we should live, our nation still has a chance.
Lastly on this New Year, please pray for them and more importantly remember the sacrifices they make every day.

Suck it up people, Jeff will be back soon as in tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

bikesbeauties2010 — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:28:07 +0000

The Cordoba Mosque

bikesbeauties2010 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:25:46 +0000

I thought this would be cut and dry and it isn’t. I’m kinda torn in twenty different directions on this and rather unsure what i think or what i should say. So’ i’ll just tell you what i found and sprinkle in a bit of Jeff for good times!

If you do not pay attention to anything the Cordoba Institute/foundation, whatever, is building a thirteen story Mosque one block away from the world trade center site. On a street where most of the buidings were damaged by debris on 9/11. There are 23 buildings on the street, all built in the 1800′s. 21 of the 23 have been granted historical preservation status, one is waiting to be heard and then there is this one. It was denied and the lovely folks in New York found it fitting to allow the building to be torn down and a new mosque built within one city block of ground zero. Agree or not it is going to happen, i guess the 123 mosques in NYC don’t cut it. They need a new one built on the blood of family and friends.

While i hate the idea, they do have the right. This is us, kick us in the pills, we will let you live and build a house of your worship on ground we hold sacred because that is who we are, no prejudice. yet, if you keep pushing, sooner or later, ummm!

Cordoba, a bit of history. It is a town in Spain, was ruled by the Romans until 711AD. It was sacked by Muslims, they ruled there for 130 years. They called it AL-ANDALUS. It prospered for a while, was one of the heaviest populated regions in the world with a population of over1/2 million. At the end of their rule the pop was less than 20,000, Great job idiots! They treasure it in Islam not just for the victory but because it was a city where all religions lived in peace together! All our citizens leave or die, perfect fucking motto for a fucked up religion that does nothing but breed hate!

So this Imam comes up with one hundred million and decides to build a mosque in New York. Where did the 100 large come from??? Most of it came from an organization called the american society for muslim advancement or asma as they like to go by. O.K. only problem is that little old Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the founder of the Cordoba Iniative is shockingly the head of ASMA. Wow? So his non profit is giving money to his non profit . I guess we don’t have to look deeper then that?

Ground zero is still a hole. Our gonernment is bickering of what to do with it and at the same time we are going to allow a radical Islamic Imam build a mosque six hundred feet from the site! Yes he is a radical, he refuse to say hezbollah and hamas are terrorist organizations and has said that George Bush need to be charged as an accomplice for 9/11 because our policies brought it upon us. seems like a great guy but as he said a thousand times now this has nothing to do with America or September eleventh or his belief in Sharia law. This is just a man opening a mosque?

Oh, did i mention that since last monday when it was given the go ahead our friend the Imam has announced the groundbreaking date when construction is to begin, might even have a burka bitch with a shovel! They are just good people.

Just heard today this Imam is now working with the Government in order to satisfy relations with Isamic Countries? What the fuck is that? Sounds a lot like we are expected to be the bottom in a happy gay relationship with Islam.

The groundbreaking date is September 11, 2011. Nothing to do with 9/11???????? Kinda makes me wanna puke or hurt people. On the ten year anniv… You know what, FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New blog about the racist history of birth control this weekend!

bikesbeauties2010 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:50 +0000