"Z" Right Thing To Do!

New Ignition System,
Why Not New Bars?

A rare ABM quick decision? Not unless you consider 3 years, "quick". We ordered in an inexpensive set of "Z" style handlebars. Tomorrow, off come the now chromed risers, and with the new Z's out they go to the powder coater. Yes, black.

Crane's Hi-4 Rocks:

The corporate chopper had a Daytona Twin Tec ignition, which, luckily, finally died, but not after backfiring starts, and a "died by the side" of the road incident, days before Sturgis. In went a set of points, which were nearly impossible to keep set while bouncing around the Buffalo Chip campground. Back in Florida, out went the points, in went a Dyna 2000-S. It lasted a whole 35 miles before shorting out the coil. Out went the Dyna, in went a Crane Hi-4 with matching Crane coil. No complaints. Not one. She starts up like a champ, runs like she's on steroids. The S&S 111 has taken on a nicer sound too.. speaking of which..

The S&S 111 cubic inch V-Twin is back.

American Ironhorse bikes were famous for running those S&S 111 evo engines, long after nemesis Big Dog went to stroker S&S 117's. You say, "hey, that's old technology, Harley replaced most of the line with twin cams a decade ago because evo's shake, rattle, and roll." Only partially correct, campers. Evo style v-twins with the most shake, tend to be "stroker" engines where piston travel measurement exceeds engine bore size. ABM's S&S 111's are identical in bore and stroke, 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 inches. They're so popular, Big Dog Motorcycles is putting them into their recently released "bagger-chopper" model, via an injected engine, producing about 95 hp/95 lbs of torque. Carb'ed models such as mine can be cammed up to grind out 116 lbs, a lot of get up 'n' go on a bike weighing less than 600 pounds, a real Corvette-killer, making expensive foreign car buyers wonder why they spent near six figures on four wheels that won't outrun a ratty old chopper?

Everyone's Driving to Grandma's This Year!

Airline Traveler Numbers Decrease for the Tenth Year:

...And why not, who wants to be strip searched in order to board a pressurized tube packed with strange people, stale, dry, maybe virus ridden air, and a little pack of nuts which wouldn't feed a mouse?

What's this mean for bikers?

Packed highways with cage rear windows piled high with crap, drivers and passengers arguing, (or feeling the love), not paying as much attention to the road as to the thought of reaching their destination at all cost. November 25 may well be the most travelled day of the year, even more reason to not let your guard down for a minute.

Turkey Day Cruise?

Green light, brothers and sisters. After packing in 2500 calories at a single sitting, ABM forgives bikers who dive onto a sofa instead of going for a ride, on this, one of the least travelled days of the year, so go for a ride b-e-f-o-r-e the family meal. It'll be like riding in a ghost town. Nov 26, and Dec 25 are among ABM's favorite riding days of the year. Enjoy. Safety first!

"12 Biker Days of Christmas"

December 14 thru December 25th!

Bikers like presents too! Friends & family outside of the biker lifestyle may find themselves wondering what to place under the family blue spruce for the gnarly biker dude or dudette in their life. Leave it to Santa's experts at ABM to air 12 great days of motorcycle gift ideas, at the perfect time of the year! The 12 Biker Days of Christmas, is coming soon to your favorite radio station!

Southbound Surprise!

"On a clear day.."

Please forgive me for dredging up an ancient show tune to describe this sight. Nice day, upper 70's, was errand running on the big bike, southbound on Florida A1A, a stone's throw from the Atlantic ocean, just in time to see a giant smoke plume. The ocean sky was unusually clear, so unobstructed, the booster rockets could be seen spewing bright orange, quickly morphing into a 100,000 story high smoke plume. The sight was so intense, I had to park the bike for a few minutes, because "motorists" had their heads poked out of the cage windows-Adventure awaits. Go for a ride!

American Ironhorse..and now Big Dog?

How the mighty have fallen..

Fort Worth based American Ironhorse Motorcycles is offering, for sale, everything, right down to inventory and blueprints. Make a bid. Frames, engines, parts. #1 AIH rival, Big Dog Motorcycles, a subsidiary of Polaris, inc, seems to be on that same miserable road to nowhere, having ceased production twice this year, and may not reopen, if at all, until 2010. Combined with Harley Davidson's ill-fated foray into the world of sport bikes via the 10 year Eric Buell experiment, and you have, for lack of a better word, in the world of motorcycle sales, chaos.

Jeff, are you nuts?

Yeah, maybe so, but ABM's sure this is a great time to buy a used or new bike. A gut feeling of mine says we may be somewhere near the bottom of this mess, and those who snag a great deal now are going to feel even smarter when a gallon of Chevron hits five bucks a gallon. I personally know of one intelligent dude who's picking up little 90 mpg bikes, bought for 1,000 over msrp when oil hit $140 a barrel. Buying stuff people don't want, and then selling it back to them when times change, is one way to earn a decent return on your bread.

Veteran's Day:

Bud called to see if I was celebrating..

Can't see today as a celebration. More of a remembrance for veterans of foreign wars. We might be tempted to tip a couple, but it's really more of an attempt to forget than it is to remember.. However, this is an excellent time for people who didn't serve to thank those who did.

Something Worth Seeing..

Dave Mason, around 4pm at The White Eagle, on US1, 10 miles south of Bunnell, in the little town of Korona, Florida. Bands all day, all night, music starts at high noon. It costs nothing. Tip the beer girls for this great entertainment. The weather will be about perfect. Part of what the Eagle, Florida's oldest biker bar is all about, and you'll see plenty of veterans at this event. Go hang with your brothers & sisters. ABM's working, got to pay the property tax man before the end of November. Bummer, but money quit growing on trees about 12 months back..

ABM Was There: Steven Tyler's Last Appearance?

Buffalo Chip Campground, Sturgis, SD:

100,000 paid admissions to the campground the night of Aerosmith's blowout show. ABM simply cannot believe we were at the last appearance of Steven Tyler. Until an unfortunate power outage, and subsequent lead singer's fall, it was the show of a lifetime. Joe Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith, looked on in disbelief, and helped a bleeding Mr. Tyler to the backstage area, out of sight. Perry has announced, via "twitter", that America's best rock band is looking for a NEW LEAD SINGER.

ABM simply cannot believe, in the words of the Stones.. it's all over now.

Can't Trust A Cop?

Not this one:

We're out to see the Navy's Blue Angels. It's early on a Sunday morning. Already, traffic is heavy. We're riding both bikes within spitting distance of the Atlantic Ocean. Main road is blocked. Got to turn left or right. Cop directing cars orders us to stop. We do. Cages from other directions proceed. Cop looks right at the two of us and motions for us to make our right turn. I look, left, Guppy doesn't, and nearly gets clipped by oncomming traffic. Apparently this is the cop's first day directing traffic at an intersection, as he waved us on, totally forgetting the traffic light has turned green for oncomming traffic. Cages from the left side are on top of her, and I yell.........STOP!! Even through the full face helmet, she hears me and locks 'em up just in the nick of time.

Never trust anyone with your life, even a cop:

Rookie mistakes. Her and the young cop. Older cops probably won't stand and direct traffic at a special event. Either they don't have to, or have other, more pressing assignments to cover. It's up to you to do your diligence. Look before you proceed. Just a quick head snap, pausing only long enough to ascertain the traffic isn't moving so fast you can't get out ahead of the pack, then.. and only then.. go. Never trust anyone else with your precious life.... It's that simple.

Rossmyer's Old Jet Bike?

Arlen Ness, 2004, Daytona-

The N man had his jet turbine bike cranked, making weird noises, a bit like the presently loud Navy's Blue Angels buzzing my roof, out here in the marsh, what some would call a swamp. Good place to practice. After me, it's crabs 'n' oysters. No complaint on the "noise" Much like a motorcycle, it's the sound of freedom.

Daytona Harley's Virtual Online Auction-

They say it's the chic way to buy a bike. 100 mc's given a 360 degree video walk around by an incredibly talented individual, (maybe Shelly?, that'd be good.), who will describe many of the bike's fine attributes. Minimum bid is 500 Somalians. Three years ago in March, DHD had a giant auction, but most of the bikes didn't sell because there was a so-called, "reserve", a minimum bid required to roll the bike into your hands. Since most of the bikes didn't fetch a minimum bid, or "reserve", they went back. We bought a wrecked a-n-d repo'ed '06 fxsti for eight large that day. It had no reserve. Black Betty is Guppy's pride and joy now.

Worth a peek? Search online for the auction at Rossmeyer's. Opens at noon tomorrow (fri).

Beware Cracked, Broken Billet Wheels!

Special Order PM Front Wheel Showing Big Time Defect!

ABM was shocked to see this wheel, off the front of a late model Thunder Mountain HD, (a custom bike built from mainly Harley parts). The wrench noticed the cracks, close to the hub. Two cracks, and an outright break on the third spoke, of about six spokes on this wheel, made by well known aftermarket custom parts manufacturer, PM, short for Performance Machine. They want to see the wheel before sending out a replacement.

Dudes...

Check your wheels, even if they aren't billet, whenever you wash your bike, or whenever you spend a few minutes looking her over. This dude told the shop wrench he'd noticed a little "wobble" in the front end. He should have. The front tire is worn to the nub on the left hand side. With two cracks, and one outright break, his next adventure might involve navigating the nearby intracoastal waterway, after plunging off our brand new bridge. Do your
diligence. Check your stuff, often. Don't be the reason for a recall..