all about motorcycle: February 2010

Finding Ben Hardy's Shop?

After putting up the last post I thought, why not look up the spot where Ben Hardy's shop was located? Could the building somehow still exist?

I knew the address since the article in Roth's Choppers magazine gave it at 1168 E. Florence in Los Angeles. A lot has changed in the last 40 years, but I figured, Google Map it with "satellite view" and see what comes up.

The letter "A" marks the spot, but it didn't look good. It sort of looks like a parking lot. I hoped (as sometimes), Google's addresses are off by a little bit. The place to it's left looked promising, so why not take look with the "Street View" option?

Boy was I surprised when this came up! What I thought was an empty parking lot turned out to be the roof. The place next door has the much lighter roof when seen from above. Ben's old shop's roof is darker but is reflecting the sun at this angle.

This place needs to be declared a National Historical Monument... of the MotorCycle kind.

For kicks, I tweaked it in Photoshop for a side by side comparison.

Afterwards, I looked up another Famous Monument. I erased the street name so as not to give it away too easily. Any guesses? I.R., I'm sure you'll know, and Moldy, If you read this, don't tell.

It's too bad places like these can't somehow be preserved for what they once were.

I wonder, do today's occupants realize their significance?

BLACK M/C HISTORY MONTH

February ain't just about Valentine's.

Looking sharp in the '30's.

Brother Ben. Perhaps one of the most influential builders ever.

Ben on a '65 H-D that is very likely an ex-police bike. There's another inside the shop's left window.

LA Choppers. From the style of their bikes and their location, I'm sure they knew Ben. This club still exists. I love their colors. I've seen a few members at the Long Beach swap.

EBD's. Probably the most famous of all the black clubs.

Gerald “Fat Daddy”, “Bubba”, “Gerry”, “J.R.”, Biddle. Member of the "Crazy Pharaohs" Port Washington, NY on a well dressed '68.

Bessie Stringfield. Google her.

Good looking group. Note the pin stripes on the second bike and the bobbed fender on the fourth.

Can't hide her feelings sitting on that brand new boat tail.

Sugar Bear. Doing them long, long time.

Can she actually get that Fro in the helmet? Brings a whole new meaning to "Helmet Hair".

So how come Black History Month is celebrated in the shortest month of the year?
"The Man" just keeps stick'in it to the Brothers and Sistahs.

Featured Member of the Month: February 2010

Meet Erwin (Erwin Bravo) in our forum and official website. Erwin is from Tarlac and has the following mods done on his Bravo.

A. Engine

1. Daytona racing camshaft 330deg duration

2. Genuine Honda XRM clutch lining (4 sets)

3. Wakamoto racing clutch spring (4 pcs)

4. Ported

5. Polished

6. Advance timing

B. "Bravo R" conversion (XRM)

1. XRM telescopic shocks

2. XRM t-post

3. XRM butterfly

4. Raider handle bar

5. POSH big bolt (threaded and attached to t-post)

C. Disc break convertion (front only)

1. STM mag wheels with front big disc

2. break caliper set (with brembo inspired sticker)

3. caliper extension

4. bolts & nuts

D. Accessories

1. B2i sticker (customized & inspired from Honda Bravo sample mods)

2. Engine cover (araro)

3. Wave 100 underneath with ducktail

4. Transformer stoplight

5. with HAZARD light installed (with switch)

6. with Headlight switch installed

7. blue small flourescent light installed underneath

8. plate number on top of pipe

9. YRS racing pipe with POP YOSHIMURA stickers

10. Raider passenger foot rest (stock footrest grinded)

11. Ride it seat cover (cut and shaped)

12. Racing development side mirrors (red)

13. stickers - dunlop, inside racing, etc

14. Honda TMX emblem

15. baggage holder

Future plan?

1. rear disc

2. monoshock (kaya naka stock p din ang shock ko sa likod)

3. rear set

Nice work Erwin.

Get to know more about Erwin and his Bravo by logging to http://hondabravo.ning.com

Koh Chang, Thailand

If you are Wanting to visit another Island in Thailand apart from the usual Phuket, Krabi or Phi Phi, I think you should try Koh Chang. My wife and I visited many Thailand forum and were told that Koh Chang is one of the best places to go. We booked accommodation (2 nights) and all we needed now was transport to get to Koh Chang as we live in Bangkok. To get there, it was going to be a 4 hour bus ride from the eastern bus terminal in Ekkamai, Bangkok and a 1 hour ferry. The total price of the transport was under 1000 baht for both of us. If you wanted to take your car to Koh Chang, you can as the ferry can also take cars to and from the island.

After a long trip, we finally made it to Koh Chang, I was excited as my friends have told me about how nice Koh Chang is. After we got off the ferry we were met by songthaew's (Pickup truck bus/taxi) to take us to our resort, the road to get to the resort was very windy and in a bad state, so if you plan on driving, please take care.

We got to our resort and it was really beautiful, our bungalow was 20 meters from a nice white sandy beach, the beach was on our resort, so there was one a few people there which was nice. The water was crystal clear and the beach was spotless, it was great place to relax for the rest of the day, we noticed that Koh Chang is not over crowded with tourists which is great as you can really relax on the beach peacefully.

We heard that the nightlife here is not really that big, but who needs a nightlife on a nice island which their is so many activities to do during the day. So we booked a snorkeling tour around other small island around Koh Chang, while their is some nice spots to snorkel, you can find much better places down south of Thailand, but it was still a decent tour to go on.

The people on Koh Chang seemed to be a lot more friendly then what you usually see in popular Phuket or Koh Samui, the smiles on the locals faces seemed a lot more genuine, Koh Chang has a really great atmosphere to it.

Their seems to be a lot of development going on now in Koh Chang as it is getting a lot more popular with tourists, so I would recommend to go there now, as in a few years the island will be crowded with tourists.

So if you are in Thailand and want to go to an island that is no over crowded with tourists, I would go to Koh Chang, only the frequent travelers know about Koh Chang. Why go where the main crowd is? You will have a much better and peaceful experience in Koh Chang, after all that is what being on holiday is about right?

About the Author

Don Carswell is publisher on Thailand who you can ask about anything on Thailand. My website is Thailand Thailand forum Thailand Classifieds

Top 3 Best Minnesota Ski Resorts

When it comes to skiing in the Midwest, Minnesota is tops. There are 3 main locations in Minnesota that are definitely worth checking out. Whether you are snowboarding or skiing, these three locations are ideal.

1) Afton Alps: Afton Alps sits along the rolling hills of the scenic St Croix River Valley. This sprawling area offers enough runs to keep a skier or snowboarder busy both day and night just exploring the whole layout. Spread out along a wedge-shaped ridge overlooking the river valley, it is hug for a Midwest ski area. With 48 trails, four terrain parks and 18 chairlifts, it is considered a top tier Minnesota Ski Resort.

2) Spirit Mountain: Located in Duluth, Spirit Mountain is one of the greatest "suburban" ski areas in the Midwest. Spirit offers a big 700-foot vertical drop, 7 lifts including a high-speed quad, 22 downhill trails, and two terrain parks spread out over close to 200 acres making it the biggest Minnesota ski resort. Spirit's assets include a sea of some of the finest "blue cruisers" around the Great Lakes and its great views of the city and harbor. The sprawl of twinkling city lights at night is one of the greatest night skiing views anywhere.

3) Giants Ridge: As the Midwest's premier ski resort, Giants Ridge was rated by SKI Magazine as the #1 ski resort in Minnesota. With Minnesota's largest half pipe, a 500-foot vertical drop, 34 downhill trails, two terrain parks and 7 chairlifts, Giants Ridge is considered by many to be the best stop in Minnesota for skiing and snowboarding. Because of this and much more, Giants Ridge is Minnesota's premier four season resort.

Click here for reservations and information on Giants Ridge - The #1 ski resort in Minnesota!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_R_Johnson

10 Best Hotels in Cebu City, Philippines

1. Marriot Hotel- Location: Cardinal Rosales Ave, Cebu 6000 Philippines
2. Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort - Location: Mactan, Lapu-lapu City, Philippines
3. Alegre Beach Resort - Location: Sogod, cebu City
4. Waterfront Hotel and Casino - Location: Cebu City, Philippines
5. Montebello Villa Hotel - Location: Banilad, Cebu City Philippines
6. Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort - Location: Maribago, Lapu-lapu City, Philippines
7. Marco Polo Hotel/Cebu Plaza Hotel - Location: Lahug, Cebu Ciy, Philippines
8. Tubod Flowing Waters Resort - Location: Upper Pakigne, Tubod, Cebu City, Philippines
9. Kan-Irag Hotel - Location: Cebu City, Philippines
10. Diplomat Hotel - Location: Cebu City, Philippines

BMW K1200S 167 mhh (268 km/h)

With enough raw power to shock even the most seasoned adrenaline junky, the K 1200 S hurls you from a dead stop to sixty mph in just 2.8 seconds. Once you're over the whiplash, you'll keep climbing, topping out at speeds that run neck-and-neck with the fastest production motorcycles in the world.

FastestBikes

Ducati 1098s 169 mph (271 km/h)

FastestBikes

The Ducati 1098 is a 1099 cc L-twin sport bike manufactured by Ducati. It was announced on November 8, 2006 for the 2007 model year and replaces the 999. The 1098 makes a manufacturer claimed 160 horsepower, 90.4 ft-lb torque, and weighs 173kg. These figures gives the 1098 the highest torque-to-weight ratio of any production sport bike ever made.

FastestBikes

Aprilia RSV 1000R Mille 175mph (281 km/h)

FastestBikes

The RSV Mille and limited-edition RSV Mille Factory are high performance V-twin powered motorcycles made by Aprilia with a 143 HP 998 cc engine built by the Austrian company Rotax. For 2006. the RSV Mille Factory won the Maxisport category for Masterbike 2006 and overall Masterbike of the year.

FastestBikes

Yamaha YZF R1 176mph (283 km/h)

FastestBikes

The Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle, introduced in 1998, was the first significant motorcycle in the true litre class (1,000 cc) "handling arms race" between the Japanese Big Fourmotorcycle manufacturers (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha). When introduced, it took the class closer to a true racing motorcycle, and increased the handling capabilities.

FastestBikes

Honda CBR 1100XX Super Blackbird

FastestBikes

Honda CBR 1100 XX Super Blackbird is a sport-touring motorcycle built by Honda. It combines big engine power, Easy operational error-tolerance with touring comfort. The Blackbird production started in 1997 and the last year of production was 2006. The Blackbird was the result of Honda's attempt to build the world's fastest production motorcycle, stealing the crown from Kawasaki.

FastestBikes