Last October at Biketoberfest Sandy and I checked out Billy Lane’s Blood, Sweat, and Gears show. You can read a write up I did on it at the VABiker.net.

The whole deal behind the show is that Billy, along with a few other motorcycle industry superstars (Kendall Johnson, Paul Cox, Mondo, Aaron Greene, and a few others) build or customize a bike on the back of a truck that Billy has turned into a motorcycle workshop on wheels. Once the bike is finished it is given away to a United States service member.

Last week I bought the Blood, Sweat, and Gears DVD that was released a few months ago and Sandy and I watched it last Friday night. I gotta tell you it is well worth the money.

The DVD is a documentary that shows how and why Billy came up with the concept for the tour, how they built the fabrication shop on wheels, and then follows the tour to Daytona Bike Week, Laughlin, Laconia, Sturgis, and Biketoberfest. (At the Biketoberfest stop, which is the last stop on the tour, on day two just after they reveal the paint, there is me and Sandy, front row to the right. - Wow my 2 1/2 seconds of fame)

Here is what the back of the box says about the DVD:
This DVD is a “behind the scenes” peak into the live fabrication tour that swept the nation in 2005. Billy Lane and friends hit six major rallies last year with a 55ft. flatbed trailer that was transformed into a fabrication shop on wheels. Pledging to give something back, they customized 4 motorcycles throughout the course of the tour and gave them away to 4 very deserving U.S. Military Veterans. This is a must have for any DVD collection! Whether you are a member of the military or a motorcycle enthusiast, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Billy is doing the tour again this year at all the major rallys and I cannot wait to check it out again down at Biketoberfest.

I definitly agree that this is one you don’t want to miss. It is a great video and it is well worth the 20 bucks. You can get your own copy here.

Take Care - Ride FREE

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Came across BikerFriend.org the other day and I have to say what a great idea. This guy is giving away free bumper stickers to help promote motorcycle awareness.

The stickers are FREE all you have to do is fill out the order form and he will send you 2 free stickers - one black on white and one white on black (like the one pictured above.

1. Slap a sticker on your cage.

2. Keep an eye out for motorcyclists who are out enjoying the great roads. Even though you’re probably wishing you could join them instead of sitting behind the wheel of that four wheeled monstrosity.

3. When in stop and go traffic or when stopped at a light, leave a little extra room. Riders who see the “Biker Friendly” sticker will be able to quickly identify that there is a fellow biker ahead.

4. If possible, lend a hand. If you see a fellow biker in trouble, pull over and offer your assistance. I understand that with our busy schedules, we don’t always have the time to stop and help. But if you have a few minutes, sometimes that is all the time a stranded rider needs.

5. Most importantly, you must agree to extend this option to all those that ride. You must not show prejudice against those who may not meet your idea of the way a biker should be. You must promise to follow these steps even though some bikers will ride fast, slow, or while wearing inadequate gear. After all, most of us are not angels, and I’m sure we all have done something at least once in our lifetime that someone else may consider to be irresponsible or even stupid.

He also has a way you can place a bulk order if you have a shop or biker friendly business and so you can give them away to your customers.

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Just a little something to get the weekend started right.

This little hottie is Livia Crisan. You can check out her site here. She also has a BikerBabes Magazine site that is in the works. Says it is scheduled to open November 1, 2006. Can’t wait. Until then just try this Google Search to find a lot more of her.

Enjoy….

This AWESOME pic appeared on the front page of BikerNet.com - Very Nice!
Have a great weekend.

Take Care - Ride FREE

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National ride to work day is July 19, 2006. Make plans now to ride your bike to work. I personally believe that this is an important way to increase motorcycle awareness. If they (people in cars) do not see us out there how do we expect them to become more aware of us and watch out for us.

I don’t really need a national day to ride I ride to work when ever I can, but if you do not usually ride to work make plans to on July 19, 2006.
Here is the press release from RidetoWork.org:

Motorcycle and Scooter Ride to Work Day is Wednesday, July 19, 2006

This year’s fifteenth annual motorcycle and scooter commuting demonstration will increase the number of riders on the road, according to Ride to Work, a non-profit advocacy organization. “Riding to work on this day shows the positive value of motorcycles and scooters for transportation. For many people, riding is an economical, efficient and socially responsible form of mobility that saves energy, helps the environment and provides a broad range of other public benefits,” states Andy Goldfine, the event organizer. Motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts and rider organizations worldwide encourage their members to ride to work on this day.

According to the United States Census Bureau and the Department of Transportation, over eighty million cars and light trucks are used for daily commuting on American roads, and about 200,000 motorcycles and scooters are a regular part of this mix. On Ride to Work Day, the practical side of riding becomes more visible as a larger number of America’s 8,000,000 cycles are ridden to work.

Ride to Work Day helps demonstrate how these vehicles make parking easier and help traffic flow better. Studies have shown that across equal distances commuting motorcyclists reach their destinations in less time than those using automobiles, that motorcycles and scooters consume less resources per mile than automobiles, and that they take up less space on roads. Motorcycle and scooter riders seek improved employer recognition and support for this form of transportation, and more public and government awareness of the positive value of riding.

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This past weekend Sandy and I headed down to Salisbury, NC for the Horse’s Smoke Out.

I have been wanting to get down there for this event for the past few years but it just didn’t work out. This year things kind of feel into place and we were able to plan to go. I had heard a lot about the Smoke Out and was looking forward to an old school biker party and motorcycle show, and that is what we got.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed out. Stopping in Emporia, VA at Shoney’s for some breakfast and then blasting down the road towards Salisbury. The ride was good, a few times we ran in and out of a few misting showers, but the overcast skys were actually welcome since it kept the temperatures down. We passed (and got passed by) several groups of bikes headed down that way, and more than a few trailers. We arrived at the fairgrounds right around 1.

Once there they have a staging area where you park to get your tickets before you enter the fairgrounds and there is where I saw it, the sign that ensured me that this was going to be a good day - NO ONE UNDER 18 ALLOWED! That’s what I am talking about, you hear so much about a lot of these rallys and get togethers (even some of the major rallys) becoming “family” events. If you want a family event go to a mini-van show.

Once we had ourselves squared away with the tickets we entered the fairgrounds to a sea of motorcycles. Yeah there were a lot of just ordinary bikes, stock bikes, and factory custom bikes but the number of home built, home customized machines was amazing and some of the stuff these guys did to them - it was just unbelivable.

Sandy looking a little worn out after the ride in - we were both a little worn out from the heat.
There was also a good bit of other activities going on. A topless bike wash, a t-shirts contest (t-shirts optional), dirt drags, the Ice Cream Man from Hell was there with his sex pool (no shoes in pool - clothing optional), a home built chopper show, the Horse’s chop off, and ton’s of vendors and custom builders displaying their creations - Choppers, Inc, Sucker Punch Sally, Fab Kevin, Chopper Dave, Indian Larry Legacy, Chopperhead Road, Led Sled, Power Factory, Departure Bike Works, and a bunch of others.

We hung out at the fairgrounds till around 5 and then the heat pretty much got the best of us. We decided to head out and try to find a place to stay for the night and get a good meal. We ended up staying in a Comfort Suites in Lexington, NC only about 15 miles up the road. It was a nice place with a pool and a good REAL breakfast. Lots of other bikers staying there too. Went to Applebees for a bite to eat and then by 8 we were pretty much done for the night - with the ride down and the heat of the day - it just did us in.

I had my camera with me but I only took a few pictures. Reckon I was just try to digest everything that was going on and just having a good time that I did not think to actually take a lot of pictures. Oh well, probably next year, and I will make it a point to get back there next year. I do like the larger rallies, like Biketoberfest, but this one was different in a very good way. It was a hard day and next year we will make it a point to get up there the day before, instead of trying to pack the ride and the rally all into the same day. Think we will probably enjoy it a bit more that way.

Continue Reading »
Smoke Out VII - June 24, 2006

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