The State of Harley-Davidson

A lot of discussion this week in the motorcycle community has centered around the shuttering of Buell. Buell, a subsidiary of HD, has produced some of the most innovative designs around the Sportster type engine. While the debate continues here are two links that provide insight into the problem.

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2009/10/harley-didnt-calculate-savings.html

http://quadcambastards.blogspot.com/2009/10/so-beancounting-execs-at-moco.html

I think this view that HD has lost its way is shared by a lot of riders. Personally, I think it's a microcosm of what is affecting the United States today.

Wall of Death!!!!

The best 5 bucks I've ever spent. Saw this at Delmarva bike week this year. Enjoy!

The Grand Finale!

So, who’s really being noisy???

The debate about motorcycles and noise they generate has been long existent. Now, I believe, the issue around noise is coming to a head. I recently received an email about the AMA’s proposed legislature regarding noise from all combustion engines. The AMA’s actions are explained by Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager;

"Many cities and other jurisdictions already have excessive sound laws on the books, but when they get citizen complaints about loud motorcycles, they sometimes decide to single out the riding public with unfair or overly restrictive ordinances and laws," said Imre Szauter, AMA government affairs manager. "We believe that motorcycles shouldn't be singled out, but should be regulated as part of a comprehensive sound management policy that also addresses cars, trucks, leaf blowers, generators and other sources of excessive sound."

The J2825 standard, issued by the SAE in May, is based on a comprehensive study of a wide variety of on-highway motorcycles. It establishes instrumentation, test site, test conditions, procedures, measurements and sound level limits.

"Too many times, jurisdictions responding to citizen complaints about excessive motorcycle sound create laws that simply don't work in the real world," Szauter said. "They either set an unreasonable decibel limit, leave it up to a police officer to subjectively decide whether a bike is too noisy, or come up with another plan that is arbitrary or unworkable. Our model legislation is objective, workable and fair."[1]

What is the J2825 SAE standard? Well, the article said the standard goes like this, “Under the SAE J2825 standard, decibel limits range from 92 dBA at idle for all motorcycles, to up to 100 dBA at certain RPMs for various motorcycles, depending on the type of engine.”[2] Personally I have Vance and Hines Straightshot slip-on mufflers on my sporty. They produce a lot of “sound,” but fall well within Pennsylvania’s limits. These limits are found in the vehicle code, “Pennsylvania Administrative Code Title 67, Part I, Subpart A, Article VII, Chapter 157, Subchapter B, Section 157.11, Paragraph a: Max A-weighted sound levels as measured at 50 feet: 84dBA at 35 mph or less; 88dBA above 35mph.”[3]

So, does anyone really know how the two measure up? Will the AMA’s suggestion be adopted? I believe this issue lies in the upswing in motorcycle riders during the past couple of decades. I do believe that some exhausts (straight pipes) do emit an excessive amount of noise, and the more recent cadre of riders think it’s their right to do so. I believe that a certain amount of loudness does help with being visible to others, but there is a limit. Most of the take home choppers (bar bikes) have ridiculous noise issues, and their riders have “look at me, look at me!” issues which complicate matters. I also believe that those who complain are a minority of folks who have nothing better to do, but since they complain to the right people the complaints are acted on. With that said, if you do ride it’s a good idea to join either ABATE, my choice, or the AMA. These groups provide a collective voice where it matters most. I guess you can say I’m noisy whether on or off my motorcycle.

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[1] http://www.whowon.com/sresults.asp?SanctionID=186&StoryID=279336 (Accessed on October 1^st, 2009.)

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/laws/result.asp?state=PA (Accessed on October 1^st, 2009.)

A day of rememberance...

Let us all take some time out today to remember what happened 8 years ago.

My Summer Vacation @ Disney

I was in the Tragic (Euro) Kingdom last week and I'm feeling a little guilty right now. The reason I say Tragic (Euro) Kingdom is most of Western Europe was there with us. I thought Europeans hated us culturally deprived Americans with our McDonalds and NASCAR. I guess with Disney all bets are off. I mean there were French people…lots of French people. Britain, Germany, and some Slavic nations too were in the house of mouse. Not that I mind foreigners, it’s just ironic they would come all this way to pay homage to the Mecca of Capitalism for which we are hated! But let’s face it; Disney World is perfect for Western Europeans because it’s so Hegelian it’s ridiculous.

I mean look at EPCOT and it is plain to see. All the countries represented are European except for Japan (we love their technology), China (Chinese food and everything is made there, duh!), and Mexico (where else could you get Margaritas and salsa). Hell, Canada is represented…they’re either French or British! Some diversity! Well, Africa does have its own park practically. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has Africa. Here the buildings are crumbling with frayed electrical wires running everywhere. The atmosphere was pretty realistic to the state of things in Africa today. All was needed were some toddlers with AK-47’s to complete the picture. Dire as it was at least it wasn’t portrayed like in the Magic Kingdom itself with the drums and cannibalistic savages. Let’s face it Disney loved the Victorian era where white was right, the West was Wild, and the African continent was dark as ever. I don’t know where the Jews fit in, because they are totally non-existent. Now with that rant aside let’s start another one.

Mmmmm, when in India sample the authentic fare!

My love for Disney begins with the all encompassing access card. If my tinfoil hat wasn’t being repaired I would swear that WDW was the testing ground for the national ID. Once issued, this card gives you access to food, entrance to all the parks, and is linked to your credit card so you buy anything with it as well. Damn, it even has biometrics linked to it. When entering any of the parks you need to submit a fingerprint. Now YOU are attached to this card and only YOU can use it. To prove it I tried using my index finger on my left hand one day and was rejected. I had to use the same finger on my right hand (GASP!).

That aside, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. The staff was friendly. Every one of the 60,000 employees was pleasant, no kidding. It was paradise. I want to move there and claim asylum. I mean it! While I was scrubbing dishes today I thought to myself, “I wish I was at Disney.” I feel like I have been sprung from some reeducation camp. The world is not supposed to be like this. It is supposed to be like Disney World! We have already booked next summer’s vacation there (sigh). Yipeee!!!!!!

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

What can I do? I am watching again as Israel goes on the offensive against Hamas. I want to understand why Israel believes that packing a people in to a small territory and cutting off aid and the basic necessities of life (water, electricity, the ability to move) would not incite rebellion? Have we forgotten our experience in the ghetto of Warsaw, Poland? Did we forget how the Jews fought with every inch of their life a losing battle but still fought bravely against the Nazis? Perhaps, this current situation is what Israeli leaders have been waiting for. A chance to finally remove any resistance or existence of the Palestinian population in Gaza. But why?

Okay, I know the history of the region, but doesn't our history teach us this is a losing battle? This continued aggression, despite the fact that rockets and suicide bombers constantly plague Israel, only elevates the Palestinian status to freedom fighters struggling against a colonial aggressor. Which is really the truth at this point, because if we changed the names for example Palestinian to Algerian and Israeli to French, we would understand the outcome. When one marginalized group is backed up against the wall their odds at liberation increases 100 fold. Doesn't Israel understand this? Israel lost the battle before it began. Even if Israel drives the population of Gaza into the sea, Israel will lose any security it ever wished to gain, because the Palestinian cause has become the rallying point for all Arab and Islamic fanatical hatred towards Israel. Of course not one of Palestine's neighbors cared about them before the creation of the State of Israel, but now that doesn't matter.

O, Israel! Look at what you have become! Has the struggle rendered your hearts incapable of mercy and compassion? Will the G-D of Abraham forsake the children of Ishmael and not deliver them when they cry out? What can I do? I still love you and stand by you. But I fear what the future holds for you. 

Born Again Biker and the Good Samaratin or What Does Riding a Harley Really Mean?

All I could do was swear and brace myself as the bike squarely hit the pothole. I thought only Philly had potholes capable of disabling your vehicle. But alas! I found one and hit it. At first I thought my front tire would blow and possibly bend the wheel itself. I got lucky, or so I thought, and rolled right into the gas station. It wasn't until I finished filling up that I realized the bike would not start.

See, I got this bike, a 05 Harley 883R, from a friend. Basically, he thought I was too domesticated and  gave his wife specific instructions that if he died in Iraq to give me the bike. We used to ride together, dirt bikes mostly, and hung out in my parent's garage doing mischievous things. The place became a local hangout with its cast of characters. We would sit around our bikes and tinker. Upset the neighbors with all the noise and other shenanigans. Twenty years had passed and now I'm rediscovering a passion that was dormant for too long.

My love for riding began when I was fifteen. I was working in a machine shop in Huntingdon Valley, my friend told the owner that I was 18, and I fell in with the older guys at the shop. They introduced me to the world of motorcycles. My first bike was a 1976 Kawasaki KZ 400 bought for $350. It was 1985 and that Summer I learned to ride. What I really learned was the camaraderie shared amongst other motorcyclists. The dropped left hand when you passed another motorcyclist signaled you were apart of something bigger. You stopped and help other motorcyclists when they were in trouble. So, standing there with my broken down bike at the Sunoco on Rte. 10 near Oxford, PA, I began to consider my options. In come two riders, one on a Harley FLHX, and another on a Honda Shadow. They came into the station from different directions, pulled up to different pumps and began filling their tanks. Both riders noticed me looking over my bike trying to get it started. I even tried to bump start the bike in the presence of both riders. The rider on the Harley bagger drives off not even considering helping me. Bye, thanks for nothing. The Honda rider pulls up next to me and says, "Having trouble?" Together, we systematically figure out that the ignition module came loose. Once the module was firmly seated the bike started. Afterwards, we talked about riding, I thanked Mike (What are the odds of having the same name?), and went our separate ways.

This incident really compromised my attitude towards Harley riders. Not the bike mind you just the people who ride them, and I know this does not apply to everyone, but I was riding a Harley at the time and was dissed by another Harley rider! WTF!!! Where's the brotherhood? Maybe, Harley dealers should hand out a little pamphlet, that I'm willing to write, instructing these noobs on how to be a real biker. Perhaps Harley's effort to sell more bikes has in effect brought the wrong element to the scene. Go into any Harley dealer and you'll find that most of there clothing (except the dealer t-shirts which are made in the U.S.) and some of the parts are made in China and elsewhere. Harley has perfected the illusion of the American biker and packaged it in a nice overpriced corporate bow. I mean really how much of a bad ass biker can you be wearing Harley jeans made in China? Guess I missed the real Harley motorcycle scene by 20 years. Oh, well. I'm still going to ride my Harley to honor my friend, but not buy into the hype.