Category Archives: The Machine

Does your Bike Fit you? By, David Zemla

For lots of us “vertically challenged” riders, having a bike that fits us perfect is so very important. There is no better safe feeling that being 100% flat foot on a bike, it just helps build that riding confidence. David from Progressive suspension shares with us how easy it is to make any bike fit you perfect.  
Get in a typical car and you can tilt the wheel, slide the seat forward and generally make whatever size car it is fit whatever size you are. The same is not true with a motorcycle, as packaging and weight prohibit such accoutrements. Proper fit in the two wheel world often requires swapping out a part or two, and thanks to a healthy aftermarket, the options are fairly substantial. So as not to turn this into a novel, today I’ll limit the discussion to the benefits of lowering your bike.
Next time you sit on your motorcycle, take notice of how it fits you. Are you on your toes muscling an 800-pound machine around gas stations? If so, that’s a recipe for certain disaster and one that is easily rectified.
An inch or so drop in your bike’s suspension is often all it takes to get your feet flat on the ground, and a high-performance shock — even in lowered form — comes with the added bonus of improving the quality of your ride. Most installs can be done right in your garage and are generally only four bolts!
Check out the complete selection of Progressive Suspension product including Progressive Suspension 412, 430 and 440 series shocks. Any questions about what would be best for you, hit our tech line and we’ll help set your bike up to fit you perfect!  
Don’t forget the during the month of April, you can score yourself a free set of fork springs when you purchase a set of 940 or 440 shocks!

Ultimate Biker Makeover Prizes

Hurry Up Deadline to enter is May 10th 2010.

 Head on over to our homepage of the site for all the details on how to enter. This is your chance to get “Hooked” up with TONS of free Rad prizes. Like a new pair of kickin’ riding boots from HD Footwear, you get to choose the style and of course size. So Hurry up, get your entries in!

2nd Annual Big Mountain Run 2010

This year the Big Mountain Run is scheduled for May 19th through the 23rd, 2010 and the line up is outrageous. To give everyone that wanted to do this last year and couldn’t make it, we are keeping the gypsy run almost exactly the same. Wednesday may 19th we will meet at Tilley’s Harley-Davidson in Statesville, NC where we leave at noon. From there we will take a two day Gypsy Tour through the Smokey Mountains stopping the first night at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. These cats roll out the red carpet for us with a complete tour of the best motorcycle museum in the world. Camping is right on site that night and the next morning we take on the Dragon. US 129, the most notorious motorcycle road known to man. Then we cross the Cherahola Sky way and wind down through the hills to Reliance Tennessee for a three night party at Hiawassee Outfitters campground right on the river. At the campgrounds there will be live music all weekend featuring Crank County Daredevils, Last Vegas, Final Drive, Knucklehead, and Super Potent Death Baby just to name a few. There will be food vendors, The Cycle Source Chopper Show, mini bike racing and some of the best riding in the entire country. All this is included in your camping pass, just 10 dollars for one night, 20 for two or thirty to stay the whole time. For information on being a vendor or for general info on the run go to www.bigmountainrun.com

One of the Hardest Working in the MC Industry, Marilyn Stemp IronWorks Magazine

Marilyn Stemp is one of the hardest working lady’s in the Motorcycle Industry. She is also a good friend. We took a few minutes to catch up with Marilyn and get a little info on the drive behind IronWorks Magazine.  Don’t forget IronWorks will be giving away a years subscription free to the 2 winners of the Ultimate Biker Makeover as well as covering the event this year. If you haven’t sent in your submission HURRY UP deadline is May 10th 2010

Hurry Up, send in your submissions to win The Garage Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover

Just a reminder to send in your submissions for your chance to win the Garage-Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover Carlisle edition brought to you by GEICO powersports.  Deadline is May 10th 2010. 
 
Contestants (guys and girls) must submit a 600 words or less essay – describing why they are most in need of a biker makeover as well as a photo to bikermakeover@garage-girls.com by May 10, 2010. Submissions will be narrowed down to the final four by selected judges from Garage-Girls and Carlisle Events. Once the final 4 are chosen, the public will then be allowed to vote online  right here for who they feel most deserves the Ultimate Biker Makeover.  Two winners will be selected for the Rider Makeover, including all-new gear and accessories with one grand-prize winner, who will win the Ultimate Biker Makeover. (Accessories for his or her motorcycle as well)   Winners must be present at the Carlisle Bike Fest on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 to collect their prizes.   

1 woman, 1 motorcycle and 10,000 miles to ride across America, By Luuezz


Right from the start, I knew I liked Alystar McKenneh. When we met at the Easyrider V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, I knew I had finally met a woman who rides like I do on a regular basis. As she was telling me of her upcoming quest, at first, I was jealous that I couldn’t do this ride with her.
Alystar pounds the pavement hard, going the distance, and that is difficult to find in the majority of women. That’s why I travel solo. It takes a certain kind of woman who shares that all out passion. Being independent is one of our strong characteristics. Our motorcycles are our passion, we live
for the journey. The oil runs as hot through our veins as it does our motors. We work on our bikes and we are NOT limited by anyone else’s perspectives or projections. We ride with peace of mind through America’s two lane roads, our motorcycles define the nature of our female spirit as
strong, smart, accomplished women, powerful and able to do whatever we dream. There is no better escape than leaving your troubles behind as the wind blows through our hair knowing that everything will be ok.  It just doesn’t matter any longer. 
On April 3, 2010, Alystar’s adventure starts out on her 1999 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail. Riding on American Steel, her bike is designed to allow her to touch upon the freedom that the hardcore American bikers feel.  She will experience the ultimate adventure without sacrificing her family and/or profession to experience it. Her stops will include the blue collar workers, women and men, who are the bikers. Bars, interesting people with life stories to share, custom bike builders and women of the motorcycle industry. Alystar McKenneh was born in Belle Fourche, South Dakota and was raised on Air Force Bases. She is a mother and resides in So. California. Her journey
of 10,000 miles coast to coast personifies the strong independent women she found at the end of her struggle to survive a childhood some would consider a nightmare. 
She is a filmmaker who normally works as a 1st assistant director, screen writer who writes anything from poems to childrens books. Alystar is a human rights activist, she is your girl next door. Alystar prefers to work on projects that rehabilitate the emotionally desensitized, to tell the truth and remind people especially women and children, it’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to that will define you. Before leaving home she will pack her saddlebags with the absolute must haves. Not having a lot of room in her leather saddlebags she must prepare wisely for Mother Nature, Emergencies, Leisure time and her overall physical condition of dehydration from the different climates she will endure.  Some of her gear will include; no make-up, hairdryer or girly stuff, instead she will pack a turkey baster for siphoning if she should run out of gas traveling across the high desert plains and /or should she come across another motorcyclist out of gas. Rain gear, plenty of socks, a couple pairs of gloves, “NO-AD Sunscreen”, sweatshirts, canned tuna, tools, several pair of sunglasses, motorcycle cover, one pair of jeans and one on her ass, chaps, two pairs of boots, “Grin & Bare It ” Body Lotion, underwear, her HD shear-ling leather motorcycle jacket, water, several packs of Gatorade, a laptop to communicate with the world, a cell phone for break downs, a HUGE heavy link chain for locking up her bike, and let’s not forget her gun that she never leaves home without.
She will ride a minimum of 600 to 700 miles in any given day. You will not find her in hotels or camping at campgrounds instead she will spend her nights with her friends and/or people she meets along the way offer their hospitality for the night. If she becomes fatigued while on the road, she regularly sleeps on her bike. Her journey will be broadcast across the globe via the web.  Alystar’s starting point begins at Glendale Harley-Davidson, So. California. Her first stop will be at Sucker Punch Sally’s and Bagger Nation in Arizona. Along the way she will attend a woman’s garage night. Moving on across Texas to New Orleans where she will reconnect with the people she helped during Hurricane Katrina. Her next destination will be Daytona Beach to Suck Bang Blow (the best ride-in biker bar around) and on to the Veterans Wall, to Dave Perewitz’s Cycle Fabrication to Danny Gray’s Roadhouse to “FOLLOW ME”. 
Any of you amazing women who want to join Alystar even for a few miles are all welcome. Including any rider who has an amazing story and who is anywhere close to the trip path, contact Alystar, she would love to hear your stories. “FOLLOW ME” Will take you places you would never get to experience, either because you can’t take off work for that amount of time or you can’t ride a motorcycle and fulfill a lifelong dream. Take part in a breath-taking, one of a kind experience that Alystar will take you across the country and experience some of the best scenic motorcycle rides through the unforgiving Death Valley Desert, climb through mountains gaps, along rivers, across lakes, along the ocean coastlines and along windy twisty roads, from start to finish. It’s the perfect therapy on all levels.
For more info on Ally’s journey visit  WWW.ROADTOSTURGIS.NET 

Need some Cushion to keep your Throttle a Pushin’?

FREEBIES, everyone loves freebies, 

Progressive suspension is going to Hook you up with a free set of fork springs (stock height or lowered) when you purchase a new set of 940 or 440 series shocks.  This is only available during the month of april so get off your ass and get your shocks ordered, then get in the garage and install them and your free fork springs and have all the cushion you need to keep your throttle a pushin’! Just visit Progressive for all the info.

B.R.A.K.E.S

Dozens of  teenagers receive a free lesson in defensive driving  thanks to this non-profit organization that travels from state to state as part of an effort to make the roads safer. Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe
B.R.A.K.E.S training is offered free of charge. The non-profit is supported by donations.
Teens must be at least 15 year old and have a permit to participate, and parents are required to accompany them.
“I love it. I think it should be a requirement for all teenage children,” said a parent. 
The program was started by former national Hot rod Association racer Doug Herbert, who lost two teenage sons in a car accident.
“If we try and push them hard enough where they actually lose control of the car, we teach them that there is an edge there and that you need to stay on the safe side of that edge,” Herbert said.
“You can’t learn this stuff from a chalk board or from a book. You have to experience it firsthand. That’s what our driving instructors are trying to do, to put the kids in an uncomfortable situation, build their confidence in the vehicle’s limitations and also give them an understanding of what they should or shouldn’t do and to save themselves,” described Matt Reilly, a driving instructor.
Nationwide, about 6,000 teenagers are killed in traffic accidents every year. 
 On one course, instructors use various methods to distract the young drivers to teach them the importance of keeping their focus on the road.
Statistics show that people talking on cell phones are four times more likely to get in an accident, and if you’re texting, you’re eight times more likely to crash.
Spinning out on a slick road and sudden stops within a short distance are just a few examples of why defensive driving skills are necessary.
In the safe environment of the track, teenage drivers learn how to handle the hazards they’ll face on the streets.
Teens are paired with professional drivers in rental cars for a three-hour training program. 

The pre-ride check list for the annoying rider

1. Comb baseball player goatee and mustache 
2. Spend 6- hours polishing gaudy chrome pieces. Be sure people can read the “Live to ride—ride to live” statement on your inspection cover. 
3. Assure suspension can handle at least 560 pounds of rider 
4. Pack cell phone and have tow service numbers programmed. 
5. Affix tassels from daughters bicycle to handle bars for added lame appearance. 
6. Test flashers for when bike breaks down (99% probability) 
7. Put on your wrist brace to help carpal tunnel from all of the unnecessary revving 
8. Leather pants 
9. Gloves 
10. Wrap around sunglasses 
11. Skull cap helmet(German soldier type for the real badasses). Remember to think about the SAFETY aspect/argument of loud pipes as putting that potato chip on head. The real tough guys here will wear a bandana over their face (some with a skull) to look really scary
12. CAT work boots (new) 
13. Leather vest with a million patches.
14. HD t-shirt (of course). Because everyone needs to know what shop you paid $40 for a $5 hanes shirt at. 
15. Remove baffles from pipes so EVERYONE can hear you going 18mph in 2nd gear at redline. 
16. Starbucks gift card: This is usually your hangout
17. Call friends with similar ridiculous motorcycle 
18. Five packs of Marlboro reds to smoke while riding to look extra cool