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July 2010 online edition:
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Brand Loyalty: What Drives It?
Would you be caught dead on another brand of bike?
By Dean Lambert
Why are bikers so willing to stand up for their brand of bike or riding choice? Few Harley riders would switch to Victory; Metric owners swear their cruisers are superior to American Iron. Sportbike enthusiasts love their quick and nimble scoots, and “Beemer” owners just wouldn’t have it any other way. If you ask the owners themselves, you’ll learn the reasons they choose the type of ride — and riding — are very personal and diverse.
The 2007 J.D. Power and Associates Motorcycle Competitive Information Study revealed that motorcycle owners are strong advocates of their favorite bike manufacturer, showing 68 percent “definitely will” recommend their personal choice of motorcycle. According to the survey of 8,796 people who recently purchased, motorcycle owners are strong advocates not only of their brand, but also 56 percent will recommend the dealer from which they purchased their bike.
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Do you know?
Dan & Shelly Swank
When Dan and Shelly Swank met in 2005, they quickly became the best of friends. One of the common bonds of their friendship was a love and passion for riding. They mutually appreciate the feeling of the open road and the sense of freedom that comes with it. Dan and Shelly’s two-wheeled friendship turned into a courtship and eventually led them down the aisle in April of last year when they were married at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, NV.
Just as riding helped to create a powerful bond in their friendship, it’s also been a catalyst for meeting many new friends from all walks of life. Dan and Shelly stay in touch with their riding friends by frequently heading out to some of central Iowa’s bike nights. You’ll likely see them together on Wednesday nights at Latitude 41 Bike night at Saylorville Marina or at Trophy’s Sports Bar or Porky’s Pub & Grub on Thursday nights or at Bike Down to I-Town in Indianola around Iowa each month and also, for good measure, the Swank’s always take their bike to be blessed at the annual Lutheran Church of HOPE Blessing of the Bikes in West Des Moines, Iowa.
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Road Rave: Poopy’s
Bar, restaurant and tattoo and piercing parlor
By Dean Lambert
On my way out to the Sturgis River Rally in Davenport, Iowa, we heard about this legendary place in Savanna, IL. I must be living under a rock because all I heard was, “You’ve never heard of Poopy’s?
And so we rode to Savanna on Saturday. First thing I’ll tell you is you can’t miss the place because there’s this giant sign — black lettering on a white billboard that says, “Poopy’s” right on Illinois Hwy 84 just south of Savanna. It’s open seven days a week, so you’ll probably see bikes coming and going all the time; another clue you’re in the right place. Kevin “Poopy” Promenschenkel owns this biker oasis with his wife Peggy, which opened up in 1996. Reading some articles from Kevin’s past that he has posted on the walls, I think I am one of the few writers who know the origin of Kevin’s nickname, which I’ll reveal later. The story involves some little kids and America’s pastime.
It turns out that before Poopy’s opened, Kevin was a customizer of some repute. His creations were featured on many magazine covers. Why did he get out of the bike building business? “Good techs are really hard to keep,” says Kevin. “When Poopy’s opened, it began to take up more of my time and we had a lot of fun running the place.”
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 HELMET HAIR.COM
Erica Edwards
Erica Edwards; otherwise known as “MX Supergirl”
By Alec “Chop” Brynnenson
Erica’s Dad Joey and his wife Terina Edwards always made it a point to expose Erica to things that were beyond her age and found out that she would grasp things very quickly… in particular, things that were mechanical in nature such as twisting a throttle (go-figure), using hand and foot controls and steering. By the time Erica was 6 years old, Joey began to realize that his little girl carried the same love for mechanical things like motorcycles as he had. It was only natural that he introduce her to motorcycling so soon enough Erica was riding a Yamaha PW80.
By the time Erica was seven years old she had run the little PW80 into the ground and was obviously ready to step up to more of a performance bike that offered an increased challenge… something with a clutch. So he surprised her with at 1999 Kawasaki KX65 as she stepped off of the school bus one day. In short order, he was able to teach her how to use a clutch and how to make good use of the wicked power of the little KX65. As Erica continued riding, her skills climbed exponentially and others at our local riding area began to notice that this was a little girl riding this bike and riding it well. She was immediately dubbed with the nickname “MX Supergirl”. As her skills further improved, she began to realize that she was actually pretty darn fast and asked about riding at a local motocross race track. It just so happened, the day they show up for her first ride on a real race track, the track was putting on a Series race so they decided to leave the bike in the truck as just watch. They were soon approached by some racer friends who twisted their arms to let Erica race in the 65cc beginner class but only as an unofficial entry. She would have to wait for the other 17 registered racers to leave the starting gate long before her so she would not interfere with any finishing positions. Erica finished the race in fourth place after starting in 18th and so the fun began.
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Hand-tooling seats of art
Honing their craft for one-of-a-kind seats
By Janet Green
Decorative leather-working techniques have been used for thousands of years. Hand-tooling, the process of creating three-dimensional designs in leather, has most commonly been associated in the U.S. with western and cowboy cultures, but it’s also enjoying popularity in the iron horse industry.
While there are challenges for both the bike owner and the artist on every project, the results are always one-of-a-kind.
Tina Anders-Grover of Des Moines, owner of Leather by Design, was an artist familiar with other media when she first started practicing the craft of hand-tooling. At a time when family finances were stretched thin, Tina’s husband learned he needed a specially designed leather belt for his motorcycle club. The belt was to cost $80, but it might as well have been $800.
“I had never even spent $80 on a pair of jeans, let alone purchased an $80 belt to hold them up,” Tina says. “I asked him if he thought it would be ok if I tried making the belt myself, and he thought that would be fine as long as it met club specifications.”
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XR1200X™... A NEW LEVEL
Fully-adjustable premium suspension and full-floating front brake rotors
By Paul James, Harley-Davidson.com
The XR1200X is Harley-Davidson® Sportster performance honed to its finest edge. Introduced in 2010 for export markets only, the XR1200X will be available through Harley-Davidson dealers in the United States as a 2011 model. Equipped with fully-adjustable Showa® front and rear suspension components, the 2011 XR1200X can be dialed in to match rider weight, riding style and road conditions.
The XR1200X combines this premium suspension with enhanced front brakes and the responsive punch of a high-compression, 1200cc Evolution® V-Twin engine in a dynamic, street-performance motorcycle.
With a tank and tail section designed to evoke the legendary Harley-Davidson XR750 - the king of the gritty American flat-track scene - the XR1200X puts its mechanical character on display. Wide flat-track bars and rearset footpegs position an assertive rider for active control. The XR1200X has a blacked-out powertrain and exhaust, revised tank graphics, and black wheels with an orange rim pinstripe. The XR1200X will be offered in two colors: Black Denim and White Hot Denim.
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Venture vs. LT vs. Vision
Not your dad’s touring bike
By Tony Tice
When the words Touring Bike are used it conjures up one picture in my mind; that is the Honda Gold Wing, it is literally the gold standard that every other big touring bike must meet. Fortunately for the individual that doesn’t necessarily want to follow the leader, there are other alternatives to the GL. Three that are considered to compete directly with the Gold Wing are the Yamaha Royal Star Venture, the BMW K1200LT, and the Victory Vision, although none of these bikes go to the same church as the Honda.
I’ll start with the Venture, it is the one that I am most familiar with and have spent many miles behind the windshields of on all the iterations. The Original Venture, introduced in 1983, was a shocker. I don’t think the motorcycle industry was really expecting the bike. It was like any first year bike back then, there were a few issues. In 1986 the new version was introduced and it was unchanged from that point to the final year of production in 1993. I can remember reading a motorcycle magazine that did a test on all the big touring rigs of the day, it won absolutely every category that they established as their test criteria. Unfortunately it didn’t win the shoot-out because “A Venture isn’t a Gold Wing.” That was the statement that they used to justify why the Venture didn’t win. I’ll never forget it.
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How to buy a used dirt bike
Always buy a dirt bike for its intended use
By Sean Goulart
Editor
www.MXNewsfeed.com, The #1 Rated Motocross Newsfeed
Looking for a new bike to ride? In these pressing economic times, a new bike may not always be the answer. There are a lot of used motorcycles out there as some folks have had to sell their dirt toys to pay the rent or mortgage.
And their loss is your gain!
There can be a host of things to pay attention to when looking at a used bike, so let’s take a look at them…
First off, determine your budget. No seller wants to hear; “I don’t have enough cash” or get low-balled with a ridiculous offer because you have no money, it’s just a waste of time for everyone involved. If you are going to “window-shop” do it on your own time. This could be a good thing as you’ll get to know what bikes go for and to determine what you can afford. Make sure you know what you have to spend and be ready to pull the trigger quickly!
Once you have done your search, you should have a pretty good idea of what era bikes are available to buy on your budget. Always buy a dirt bike for its intended use - for example, the XR lineup from Honda are great trail bikes, but will not perform well on the MX track. If you’re going to ride motocross, get a motocross bike, period. Don’t try to convince yourself that you’ll “deal with it” because you will be disappointed, and potentially get hurt as well.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE
Rock ‘N Rev Festival
Something interesting to see
Let me tell you this, if you’re into meeting people from all walks of life start hitting rallies and events in a few far away locations. Get out of your comfort zone and say hello to fellow riders whenever possible. Get a hotel room or camp for the night at a bike event and see how many new friends you can meet. Go to Sturgis! We are. And one place we’re hitting is the Rock ‘N Rev Festival.
Alice In Chains unites with fellow headliners Stone Temple Pilots, Godsmack, Creed and 3 Doors Down to establish the Rock ‘N Rev Festival as “The Home of Rock’s Hardest New Chart Toppers,” boasting five of the most explosive American active rock bands of 2010 — a different one topping each night’s lineup. Combining forces with DC3 Global as the inaugural Rock ‘N Rev Festival hijacks the world’s biggest, baddest biker event for five full nights of undeniable rock ‘n roll bedlam — Monday, Aug. 9 through Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 — as part of the legendary Sturgis Rally’s 70th Anniversary celebration in Sturgis, SD.
Tickets for the Rock ‘N Rev Festival are $45 per day, general admission ($150 for a five-day pass), and on sale now through Ticketmaster.com and rocknrevfestival.com and at all Ticketmaster locations, or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available each day at the gate.
Deeply discounted Concert ‘N Camping packages are available on the Glencoe CampResort Web site at glencoecamp.com. Gates open at 4 p.m. daily. Show time each day is 6 p.m. For complete information, call the hotline at (800) 272-4712.
With an unrivaled lineup of 20 bands over five nights and spectacular fireworks displays each night in the nation’s largest outdoor amphitheater at the 600-acre Glencoe CampResort, the Rock ‘N Rev Festival promises to be the hands-down largest party ever thrown at the world’s largest motorcycle event. World famous showman Jim Rose and his circus are set to emcee the five-day event and give attendees a show they will never forget.
Rock ‘N Rev Festival also announces the additions of Three Days Grace, Hellyeah, Cage The Elephant, Theft, Sweet Cyanide, Charm City Devils and Rev Theory to the sweltering lineup, joining the likes of Eagles of Death Metal, The Darling Stilettos, Pop Evil, Skillet, and Swayback as just some of the other bands making massive music at this colossal biker bash.
While live concerts always have been a staple at Sturgis, there never has been such an incredible concentration of high caliber performers being showcased in a five-day stretch. The unstoppable combination of first-class concert promotions in a first-class camping resort facility is unsurpassed anywhere.
Glencoe CampResort is world-renowned for its clean, comfortable camping facilities, complete with full-service bars and restaurants, in close proximity to the city of Sturgis, providing a resort-like experience for people attending the Sturgis Rally. Still family owned and operated, Glencoe is continuing to develop and improve in conjunction with DC3 Global’s new festival initiative ignited by the Rock ‘N Rev Festival. DC3 Global already is raising the bar with plans to expand its festival presence not only at Glencoe, but around the country. DC3 now is helping to oversee and accelerate the continued expansions and upgrades at Glencoe, already including the purchase of additional shaded acreage for camping, the planting of hundreds of new trees, and everything from roads, and the upgrades of bathrooms, food stands and shower houses. More info at www.rocknrevfestival.com. See you there!
As always, ride hard.
R. Kabel & Scott Chambers
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