Hard Rock and Roll
The Seminole Hard Rock Roadhouse and its rolling fleet of customs was proud to participate in New Orleans' first annual Bike Week, held May 6-10, 2009. The Roadhouse was open daily and showcased the latest work from some of today's hottest custom bike builders, including Athena "Chickie" Ransom of Vagabond Choppers, Bill Dodge of Bling's Cycles, Paul Wideman of Bare Knuckle Choppers and Paul Yaffee of Paul Yaffee Originals. The builders kicked off the inaugural event at the New Orleans Harley-Davidson Biker Bash with a traditional rock 'n' roll Hard Rock Guitar Smash helping to get New Orleans Bike Week off to a great start. "New Orleans Bike Week was a great event, and we were happy to be part of it," said Carrie Repp, producer of the Hard Rock Roadhouse and owner of R&R promotions. "The city of New Orleans and the bike week organizers were extremely welcoming, and we're confident New Orleans is on its way to becoming a major destination on the motorcycle rally circuit."
www.hrroadhouse.com
Find it on the Web
To ease its customers' TIG torch, consumable and accessory selection process, Weldcraft now offers downloadable PDFs of spec sheets, replacement parts data, and more at www.weldcraft.com/literature-manuals/. The literature and manual web page can help existing customers quickly find supporting documents for their torch model and easily locate replacement parts. For new customers, Weldcraft offers a downloadable PDF of its full line product catalog, along with spec sheets for its most popular torch models. Each spec sheet provides technical information on the given product, along with prominent features and benefits, and recommended uses. Other valuable PDF downloads include owner's manuals for select TIG torches and connection diagrams that provide illustrations for connecting both air- and water-cooled torches to common power sources.
www.weldcraft.com
Put the Smog Check in Check!
Thanks to the efforts of thousands of AMA members and other concerned motorcyclists, the sponsor of a proposed a California law to require motorcycles to undergo periodic exhaust emissions testing has backed away from the idea. The measure, Senate Bill 435 introduced this year by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), would have required all model year 2000-and-newer on-road motorcycles with engine displacements of more than 280cc to be tested every two years. The motorcycles would have been included in the state Department of Consumer Affairs "smog check" program, which involves testing for unacceptable levels of pollutants in emissions. "This is an initial victory for California motorcyclists, but we can't let our guard down just yet," said Nick Haris, AMA western states representative. "Senators deserve credit for recognizing how this proposal would have created an added burden for motorcyclists, motorcycle businesses, and the cash-starved state bureaucracy, and they reworked the measure to limit its scope to focus on catalytic converters. The bill is on its way to the state Assembly, but we have to remain vigilant because it could revert back to its original form." California's motorcycle engine emission standards are already the strictest in the nation and, because of their relatively low yearly mileage totals when compared to other vehicles, the state's motorcycles have the lowest emissions of any motor vehicle category in California. The emissions testing provision was dropped out of the bill and it cleared the Senate on June 1. The measure is now in the Assembly for consideration, where it could be further amended.
www.ama-cycle.org