Articles

Frame Slider Design And Installation

By Roland Lee
Motorvation, www.motovationusa.com

Call them crash protectors, crash bobbins, fairing protectors or frame sliders, all these products ultimately seek to do one thing - protect your expensive bodywork or the essential and often expensive structural parts of your motorcycle from damage in the even of a fall or tip-over. The frame slider concept is as old as the proverbial 'crash bar' and today there are as many designs and brands as there are models of bikes. The proliferation of these types of products testify to the success of the idea of providing a sacrificial item to absorb some of the damage in the event of a fall. We are by no means experts on this concept nor were we the first to come up with it, but in this article we hope to provide you with an unbiased view so that you can make an informed decision when you're ready to put down your hard earned cash.

Mounting Configurations:

The frame slider must be designed to mount securely onto a strong enough part of the motorcycle so that impact forces can be adequately distributed or absorbed. Here are some popular mounting configurations.

Fairing Mounted Frame Sliders

Sliders that mount onto the fairing with small fairing screws may provide some protection in a minor tip-over but offer very minimal protection in a slide. These sliders are not generally recommended for serious riders.

Frame Mounted Sliders - Direct

The most popular and viable mounting option is directly to a selected strong point of the frame. Sliders with this design offer the most protection and impact force distribution. The installation of this type of slider often require modification of the fairing and in some cases like the Honda VFR800, as extreme as requiring the modification of the coolant bottle. For this reason, many choose the first or the third option as fairing modification can at times be quite intimidating. This option is the most popular for serious sportsriders, amateur and semi-professional racers alike as they provide the best protection for the money. One other thing to consider when choosing these types of sliders is where they will be mounted to. Many models of sportbikes offer several places to mount them, frame slider manufacturers all have their personal reasons for choosing the mounting location for theirs and many of them make that choice for the wrong reasons. An example is cost - a location that offers a two short bolt mounting location is cheaper than one using a long through the engine bolt choice. The former being a much weaker location. If you own an SV650 you will know what we mean. Another choice is the use of a bracket so that cutting of the fairing is avoided - see below (Frame Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts).

Frame Mounted Sliders - In-Direct

To address some of the concerns owners may have about modification of the fairing, some manufacturers have opted for a design that allows for the slider to mount onto an offset bracket that then mounts onto the frame. This offset introduces a whole new set of variables into the mix. Depending on the degree of the offset, impact forces now include amplified torque stresses which will be applied to the frame mounting points. Offset brackets will need to be of beefier construction, but not so beefy as to stay intact during an impact while severely damaging the frame mounting points. This is often the most costly type of slider configuration as most brackets require ingenious CNC work and design. In some situations employment of a bracket is a calculated risk, in others it is just not feasible. No cut sliders are attractive to most bikers so do your homework and ask the manfacturer questions before you buy them.

Frame Mounted Frame Sliders-Through-Engine Bolts

The third mounting option found only on certain models of bikes like the Suzuki DL1000 Vstrom, TL1000S, SV650 and Ducati models of bikes allow for use of the long, through-the-engine mounting bolt. This method is by far the strongest available as impact forces are allowed to be distributed over a much larger area. This is also the second more costly design as these long bolts are quite expensive to manufacture. The design must be structurally strong enough not to break off when encountering the various types of impact forces but not so strong that these forces would be transmitted entirely to and damage the considerably more costly frame mounting points. In other words you want to sacrifice your slider before your fairing and then your frame in that order. It's a delicate balance and there is no sure way to ensure that any one design will accomplish this desired goal.

Frame Slider Material:

The choice of material used for the frame slider should be a balance of the following 3 requirements: Abrasion Resistance - the material should be hard enough to be able to slow the bike down in a slide and not be totally worn down to the bolt half way through a slide.

Structural Strength - the material should be strong but not brittle and snap off too easily on impact

Energy Absorption-the material used should have some energy absorbing properties but not be so hard that all impact forces are transmitted to the mounting points or fasteners (solid steel or aluminum materials are examples of non-energy absorbing materials). Most high quality frame sliders today are made of some kind of nylon or other for energy absorption and with aluminum inserts for strengthening of the fastening points. The range of nylon types, with different levels of abrasion resistance and "brittleness" used is also quite varied.

Fasteners and Components:

Quality of materials used, aesthetics and quality of workmanship should also be considered when choosing the right frame slider for your bike. Look for high quality anodized steel bolts. Black non-coated bolts will rust in a week or less depending where you live. Stainless steel washers between your steel bolts and aluminum inserts in the slider also reduce potential corrosion problems. Socket head cap screws offer the smallest footprint allowing for a thicker and stronger slider dimensions and are generally much more expensive then regular hex-head screws. Nyloc lock nuts where applicable are another added safety feature. True, these are all minor considerations in the overall scheme of things but they all add up to the cost of manufacturing. One last thing to remember is to always try to use some form of thread lock compound like Loctite and to properly torque the mounting bolts to the manufacturer's recommendations. If you're not sure check out our torque reference guide.

CONCLUSION:

Where does that leave you the consumer? Well, we all don't want to think about the day when we will be able to justify the purchase of frame sliders. The reality is that as long as bikes have only two wheels, you can expect them to fall over sooner or later. Frame sliders are one of the surest and least expensive ways to ensure some protection for the expensive or sometimes irreplaceable parts of your bike. After all some protection is still better than none. Think about broken rear brake levers, gear shifters or even worse - punctured radiators or coolant bottles, when you're miles from civilization. The rule is the same in our opinion no matter what you're spending your money on - buy the best you can afford and don't be afraid to ask the manufacturer why their product is better than the plethora of other brands available out there. Any good manufacturer will be very clear about what differentiates their products form others so that you will be able to make the correct purchase decision. If you're still not sure, have a look at these pictures to help you make that decision. Click Here For Crash Pics

Kawasaki Motorcycles - Independent in Thoughts and Actions

By Daniel Levy

The story of Kawasaki Company goes back to 1924, at that time involved in metallurgy and the aircraft industry.

In 1949, they decided to enter the motorcycle industry producing
engines that could be adapted to motorcycles.

FIRST KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLES PRODUCTS ?

Motorcycle Engines

In their line you could find a 60 cc two-stroke, as well as a 150cc and a 250cc four-stroke engines developed with technology from BMW; company whom with they had had relationships since their beginnings in the aeronautical industry.

It wasn't until 1954 that Kawasaki Motorcycles produced their first complete motorcycle under the name of Meihatsu (a subsidiary of Kawasaki Aircraft Co.).

Almost at the same time, they also tried to introduce their own line of scooters to the market, but they soon realized they couldn't compete against the two giants of the scooters industry for those days: the Fuji Rabbit and the Mitsubishi Silver Pigeon.

And now before continuing with Kawasaki Motorcycles history, I have to open a big parenthesis…

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLES

We cannot talk about Kawasaki without mentioning another make that will definitely help Kawasaki become as well as Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha one of the big players in the Japanese Motorcycles scene:

--> Meguro Motorcycles: better know in that time as the "senior make and the king of four strokes".

Meguro entered the motorcycle industry in 1937. Having a good relationship with the government, the people at Meguro took advantage of the army orders.

Their first motorcycle was the Z97: a 500cc rocker-valve motorcycle influenced by the Swiss Motosacoche. It's worth mentioning this model was a success for the factory and the Z97 was in production till the fifties.

Along the years, Meguro produced some very nice 250cc and 350cc rocker-valve, single cylinder models as well as high performance twins. All of them with a very strong British influence. Then and thanks to the commercial success they were living, they also
launched a rocker-valve 125 cc for their low end range and a twin cylinder 650cc to accompany the already existing 500cc.

But it was in 1958, when Meguro tried to get rid of their British influence, when things started to go wrong...

Based on a winning prototype of Mount Asama (one of the biggest races that time), Meguro Motorcycles produced three nice and elegant machines with overhead camshaft: the 125cc E3, the 250cc F and the 350cc Y A. Unfortunately these bikes turned out to be too heavy and didn't get the buyers' attention. Meguro will soon return to rocker valve models.

Meguro Motorcycles remained as one of the top 10 manufacturers till 1960, but due to some bad decisions, as the ones mentioned above, the company started to decline and was soon bought by Kawasaki.

In 1960 Meguro signed an initial agreement with Kawasaki Motorcycles, and in 1962 they had completely disappeared.

….And this brings us back to Kawasaki Motorcycles...

In 1960, the company decides to give a serious push to the motorcycle division of Kawasaki Aircrafts:

They take out of the market the Meihatsu brand, they build their own plant of low end and low powered machines and buy Meguro.

These brilliant moves and decisions made Kawasaki Motorcycles have one of the widest range of models in the market. Kawasaki Motorcycles could offer at that time (1960's) from a 50cc moped-scooter to a powerful, high end and beautiful 650 cc twin cylinder motorcycle.

Its also important to mention that due to their very own nature, Kawasaki Motorcycles has always played the role of Maverick in the industry and that a feeling of independence from their main competitors has always been present.

Since then, many stories have been written, many models have been produced and many races have been won on Kawasaki Motorcycles, the truth is...

Nowadays Kawasaki Motorcycles is one of the major players in the industry and following their tradition, they nowadays offer a wide range of products for all kind needs and likes.

You can also take a look at Kawasaki 2005 line-up . Check this page: http://www.kawasaki.co.uk

Enjoy the ride!

Daniel Levy is the owner and contributing writer of http://www.Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.com . He loves motorcycles and Web development. For more great info visit http://www.japanese-motorcycles-only.com/

Suzuki Motorcycles - From Fine Loom Manufacturers to Major Motorcycle Company

By Daniel Levy

Started in a small warehouse by Michio Suzuki back in 1909, Suzuki aimed at making better looms for the Japanese silk industry. It was only thirty years after its existence that the company started thinking of diversifying into cars, motorcycles and related machinery. In fact, it was only after the collapse of the cotton market in 1951, that Suzuki seriously got into the motorcycle and car industry.

One of the first two-wheeled innovations by Suzuki was a motorized bicycle called the "Power Free". This bicycle was so ingeniously designed that the government of Japan gave Suzuki a subsidy in order to continue their research in motorcycle and car innovation. As time progressed, the company started to build better and better motorcycles. And by 1962, Suzuki Motorcycles had won their first 50cc Grand Prix World Championship.

By the late 60s, the company had become known and respected in the American and European motorbike world. One of their best-selling machines during this time period was the Suzuki X-6 Hustler, which was the fastest Japanese 250cc for that time.

Suzuki Motorcycles also gained fame in the motocross world. In the 60s and 70s, motocross racing was largely dominated by European motorcycle manufacturers. Japanese motorcycles did not have much of a presence or respect in this arena, but during this time, Suzuki Motorcycles won the World Championship several times
between 1971 and 1976 in the 500cc MX race. In addition to this, the company also won every 125cc world championship from 1975 to 1984.

By the late ‘80s, Suzuki had gained the respect of all within the racing community at the highest levels. One of the best Suzuki Motorcycles of this era was the GSX–R750. Its design and energy was unbeatable and, at that time, it was the lightest bike around in its class.

The Suzuki GSX-R was without any doubt one of the most important and influential motorcycles of the 80s. Even now, twenty years later, you will find the GSX–R line in Suzuki Motorcycles current catalog. In fact you will find it in several sizes ranging from 600cc to 1000cc.

Since the GSX–R750, Suzuki Motorcycles has come with many other successful models and today, Suzuki is a well-known name in the Motorcycling world . The company has won over a dozen World Championships along with many other races. Their long-standing emphasis on innovation as well as their meticulous care in craftsmanship has lead the company from strength to strength for more than 50 years.

For all this Suzuki is now one of the four big names in the Japanese motorcycles industry. If you are planning in buying on changing your ride, their models must be included in your list of possibilities.

Enjoy the Ride!

Daniel Levy is the owner and contributing writer of http://www.Japanese-Motorcycles-Only.com . He loves motorcycles and Web development. For more great info visit his site (listed above) or his blog at: http://japanese-motorcycles-only.blogspot.com/

Getting your bike's chrome parts as shiny as possible

Chromium is a hard blue white metal, has a brilliant luster used as a plating on other metals. Chrome mudguards, tank trim, motorcycle handlebars and grabrails, bicycles, boats riggings, bath and tap ware as well as tons of kitchen appliances are all examples of chrome plating.

The chrome is a thick layer protecting a much thicker layer of Nickel, which makes Chrome appear Silver. Indeed it's not always easy to tell chrome plating from other finishes if the items are not side by side. When a decorative chrome electroplated finish sits right next to another bright finish, however, the other finish usually won't compare very favorably :-)

Your motorcycle's chrome can be restored to a beautiful lustre and shine. Here's some what to's and what not to's to help you make your chrome shine like the professionals.

Clean your chrome first

Always wash in sudsy water. Rinse and wipe to restore the shine

Don't scour your chrome

Never use abrasive cleaners, wire wool, sandpaper or scouring pads to restore your chrome as it will scratch and dull the surface revealing the Nickel below. If your chrome is scoured or worn back to Nickel or bare metal you will have to take it to a reputable chrome plating shop for replating.

Make surface rust spots disappear in seconds!

If your chrome has surface rust marks try using kitchen foil dampened with Coca Cola, the rust will disappear before your eyes! If your part has too much rust or the rust has eaten into the chrome and even the metal below you will need to take it to a reputable chrome plating shop.

Remove grease and grime in seconds

Try using soft cloth dipped in un-diluted White Vinegar or Cider Vinegar to restore your chrome. For worse deposits of grease or gummy residue soak in a bucket or small tub, remove and rub with a cloth, or paper towel.

How to remove swirl marks

After you have cleaned your chrome, if it is hazy, has swirl marks or residue try using a soft cloth and baking soda or Lime to colour it and shine. Flour works well too.

Baby Oil can give your Chrome a Show Glow!

Baby oil can also be used to get your chrome shinning! Put some on a soft cloth and polish to a glow. Make sure you polish the residue off to limit it's ability to attract dust and dirt.

Fabric softener sheets will also work wonders on chrome

Use new or used fabric softener sheets to restore the chrome-plated fixtures in your bathroom and kitchen. The chrome will sparkle like new!

Use a professional Chrome Polish and Restorer

There are some very good polishes made especially for chrome - see the link below.

Getting your chrome restored by a professional chrome plating shop

If you still can't get the world class shine your looking for, go to a reputable chrome plater or chroming shop. They will strip your old chrome, polish up your part to a flawless mirror and then give it a triple coat of copper, nickel and chrome giving your part that show like finish you are looking for.

What is Chrome..?

Chrome is slang for Chromium. Chrome is a metal. Things are never made of solid chrome. Rather, when you hear that something is chrome, what is really meant is that there is a thin layer of chrome, a plating of chrome, on the object (the bulk of the object usually being steel, but occasionally aluminum, brass, copper, plastic, or stainless steel).

A cause of occasional confusion is the fact that people tend to describe any shiny finish as "chrome" even when it really has nothing to do with chromium. For example, brightly polished aluminum motorcycle parts are sometimes called 'chrome' by the lay person.

Indeed it's not always easy to tell chrome plating from other finishes if the parts are not side by side. When a decorative chrome electroplated finish sits right next to another bright finish, however, the other finish usually won't compare very favorably :-)

Chrome plating is more reflective (brighter), bluer and more specular (the reflection is deeper, less distorted, more like a mirror) than other finishes. Put one end of a yardstick against a bright finish, and see how many inches of numbers you can clearly read in the reflection -- you can clearly see the clouds in the sky reflected in chrome plating. And there's a hard to define "glint" to top quality chrome plating that nothing else has.

What's the difference between "Chrome Plating", "Chrome Electroplating", "Chrome Dipping", "Chroming", etc.?
Nothing. Chrome is always applied by electroplating, it is never melted onto parts in the fashion of chocolate on strawberries, or applied in any other way than by electroplating.

Is all chrome plating about the same, then?

Not quite. There are two different general applications for chrome plating: "hard chrome plating" (sometimes called 'engineering chrome plating') and "decorative chrome plating".

Hard Chrome Plating

Most people would not be very familiar with hard chrome plating. Hard chrome plating or Industrial Chrome is chrome plating that has been applied as a fairly heavy coating (usually measured in thousandths of an inch) for wear resistance, lubricity, oil retention, and other 'wear' purposes. Some examples would be rollers, piston rings or motorcycle fork stanchions etc. 'Hard chrome' is not really harder than other chrome plating, it is called hard chromium because it is thick enough that a hardness measurement can be performed on it, whereas decorative chrome plating is only millionths of an inch thick and will break like an eggshell if a hardness test is conducted, so its hardness can't really be measured directly.

Hard Chroming is not as reflective as 'decorative chrome plating' and is not a finish you would want on say a bumper or a wheel.

Decorative Chrome Plating

Decorative chrome plating is sometimes called nickel-chrome plating because it always involves electroplating nickel onto the object before plating the chrome (it sometimes also involves electroplating copper onto the object before the nickel, too). The nickel plating provides the smoothness, much of the corrosion resistance, and most of the reflectivity. The chrome plating is exceptionally thin, measured in millionths of an inch rather than in thousandths.

When you look at a decorative chrome plated surface, such as a chrome plated wheel or car bumper, most of what you are seeing is actually the effects of the nickel plating. The chrome adds a bluish cast (compared to the somewhat yellowish cast of nickel), protects the nickel against tarnish, minimizes scratching, and symbiotically contributes to corrosion resistance. But the point is, without the brilliant leveled nickel undercoating, you would not have a reflective, decorative surface.

Buzzwords: "Chrome Plating", "Double Nickel-Chrome", "Show chrome", "Triple Chrome"

"Show chrome" probably means chrome that is good enough to be on a winning entry in a car show. Chrome-lovers believe that the key to "show chrome" is to copper plate the item first and then buff the copper to a full lustre before starting the nickel plating.

Whether you start with bare steel or buffed copper, at least two layers of plating follow -- a layer of nickel and a layer of chrome.

Salespeople are always looking for advantage, and they will use any good-sounding terms they can get away with! There are no laws that define what triple chrome plating actually means, so salespeople will be prone to call their service "triple chrome plating" if there are a total of 3 layers of any kind of plating, or "quadruple chrome plating" if there are 4. So those terms mean little.

Chrome plating is hardly a matter of dipping an article into a tank, it is a long involved process that often starts with tedious polishing and buffing, then cleaning and acid dipping, zincating (if the part is aluminum), and copper plating. For top reflectivity "Show Chrome", this will be followed by buffing of the copper for perfect smoothness, cleaning and acid dipping again, and plating more copper, then two or three different types of nickel plating, all before the chrome plating is done. Rinsing is required between every step.

Restoration Work

When an item needs "rechroming", understand what is really involved: stripping the chrome, stripping the nickel (and the copper if applicable), then polishing out all of the scratches and blemishes (they can't be plated over and any scratches will show after plating), then plating with copper and "mush buffing" to squash copper into any tiny pits, then starting the whole process described above.

Unfortunately, simply replating an old piece may cost several times what a replacement would cost. It's the old story of labor cost. The new item requires far less prep work, and an operator or machine can handle dozens of identical parts at the same time whereas a mix of old parts cannot be processed simultaneously, but must be processed one item at a time. If a plater has to spend a whole day on your parts, don't expect it to cost less than what a plumber or mechanic would charge you for a day of their time.

Peeling chrome?

If your chrome plating is peeling, this is virtually always a manufacturing defect due to insufficient adhesion of the plating to the substrate. Although exposure conditions can certainly harm chrome, and discolor it or make it pit, they won't make it peel! It can be very difficult for a plating shop to get good adhesion on some things (most commonly on alloy wheels because they are not pure aluminum), but if they can't do it they shouldn't sell it. If your parts have peeling chrome, you should complain and not be deterred by nonsense about chemicals in your garage, how frequently you wash the wheels, etc. We'll say it again, we're that sure: peeling chrome is virtually always a plating defect.

An Interesting Fact...

Until the plant was shut down in the late 1990s, Cadillac's main manufacturing and assembly plant (located in Detroit, ) won awards for the best chrome plating line (including bumpers) in the world for over 50 consecutive years of operation.Michigan

Daytona Bike Week on OCC Choppers

The most fun I’ve ever had in Daytona. That’s how I’d surmise Day 1 of Daytona Bike Week. By that statement you’d think that I’d either have scored in one of Daytona’s many strip clubs or perhaps better, found $1000 on the side of the road. While both those things aren’t exactly bad, I had an even better experience after a day on two Orange County Choppers.

After a late night/early morning flight into Orlando we made our way towards Daytona and inside the raceway’s vendor area outside of Turn 4. There, the folks over at OCC handed over the keys to two of its everyday man rides—a classic bobber named the Greenie and its raked-out Original. And it was cold… Like 43 degrees on the dash of our rental car. Yet for some reason in Daytona on Orange County Chopper’s it’s still not that cold.

We took off and headed towards Main Street

just a few miles northeast of the speedway. And it was pretty packed. Established businesses along with pop-up vendors did their best to score some dollars from thousands of extra motorcycle enthusiasts in the area. We continued north right through the city and toward the boonies, I still don’t know exactly where.

As we were motored down Daytona’s famous AIA, I gestured to a dude on an old school “SRAD” Suzuki GSX-R to do a wheelie. And a wheelie he did, right over backwards. Bobbing and weaving a 100-plus inch wheelbase chopper to avoid his crashed bike in the middle of the road is just as sketchy as you’d think, fortunately the dude was okay, so we dusted him off and went about our way.

The highlight of our first day in Daytona was being able to ride around on OCC's Greenie bobber.

e veered back west towards the site of the New Daytona Bike Week in Ormond Beach, Florida. We pulled at the vendor area also affectionately known as the Battle Ax. And no it’s not some red neck-like dungeon, it’s just one of the many vendor areas adjacent to the massively huge (even for Californian-standards) retail setups the likes of Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona. And that’s when it really started: The oohs and the aahs in regards to one of the coolest bikes to hit Florida’s streets, OCC’s Greenie. Where did you get that? How much does it cost? How does it ride? Do you like it? This is the kind of questions we answered all day. Surprisingly, we also fielded a lot of questions about GoPro’s new Wide Angle Camera that we had rigged on the bikes. I guess everyone’s embracing the digital age.

From there we hit some of the local “entertainment” areas of Bike Week known as the Broken Spoke, Similey’s and Iron Horse Saloon as well as a new one, called the Kick Start Saloon. Three of the four our completely outside, which makes the vibe feel similar to an old high school party only everyone is thirty years older and they all ride loud motorcycles. While the Bobber we were on received the most interest from the folks over at The Broken Spoke, over at the Iron Horse is where the heaviest amount of bikers were at, people were more into the super raunchy, yet totally hilarious dude singing away onstage.

The view aboard OCC's Greenie at the Iron Horse Saloon.

Despite temperatures remaining brisk for much of the day, the afternoon’s bright sun kept us warm and you didn’t really notice many complaining about the unseasonably cool temperature. As we headed back towards the speedway to drop-off are awesome OCC rides, traffic increased significantly from earlier in the morning proving that despite my initial apprehensions, of a dismal Bike Week turnout, people are still making it out.

So that’s it from Day 1 at Daytona. Up next is an adventure on Kawasaki Ninja sportbikes as well as some racing action from inside the speedway. And if you’re still thinking of coming down, there is actually some lodging availability still left coming into this weekend. So check it out and watch out for the fuzz on the way in.

Love ride founder Oliver Shokouh has seen his small event grow from humble beginnings to its current incarnation. Along the way the H-D dealer's event has raised 20 million dollars for charity.

Here's where similarities to prior Love Rides began to dissipate. Instead of hopping on the Golden State Freeway and heading north to picturesque Lake , Love Ride 24 attendees mounted their rides and navigated north along CastaicBrand Avenue on their way to the 210 freeway. Located 35 miles to the east of Glendale is the Fairplex in Pomona. The multi-use facility is best known for hosting the LA County Fair and various drag racing events held at the famed Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. This weekend, Fairplex would be home to California Bike Week. In it's inaugural running, California Bike Week (actually a three-day event) ran from Friday, Nov 9 through Sunday, November 11. The event is a combination of motorcycle racing, stunt riding exhibitions, a motorcycle industry trade show and motorcycle demo rides, culminating on Sunday as the destination for Love Ride 24.

Racing activities took the form of an All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) event (www.ahdra.com) and Pacific Coast Flat Track racing on the 5/8-mile dirt track located inside the fairgrounds. With Californians voicing their desire for an AHDRA competition within the Golden , AHDRA officials scheduled two days of racing at StatePomona, aptly named the AHDRA California Bike Week Nationals. The tire-smoking event was sponsored by nearby Laidlaw's Harley-Davidson, and saw more than 300 competitors vying for top spots in 16 classes.

When the smoke had cleared, Doug Vancil piloted his #3 Drag Specialties/Vance & Hines Nitro-burning machine to victory in the Screamin' Eagle Top Fuel class. Scoring a final run of 6.340 seconds at 218.48 mph, Vancil beat out runner-up Mike Romine's 6.429 seconds at 212.23 mph, positioning himself to win the series the following weekend in Las Vegas, . For more comprehensive race results, and to see what they have in store for next season, check out their website.

After an 11-year absence from the NevadaLos Angeles racing scene, flat track racing was back town. Long-time champion racer turned race promoter, Gene Romero added a stop in Pomona to his Pacific Coast Nationals.

Realizing LA-area residents were starving for some flat-track racing Romero decided a stop in Pomona would be a good way to round out his six-event series. A total of 117 racers competed in multiple heats narrowing the field down to three main events. Riders included the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson Wrecking Crew of Kenny Coolbeth, Jared Mees, Bryan Smith and Joe Kopp, also competing was Chris Carr, who holds the distinction as the fastest man to pilot a motorcycle.

When it comes to motorcycle fundraisers there is no doubt that Southern California's Love Ride is the big Kahuna. The event has become so successful, organizers have already donated over 20 million dollars to charity thanks to the generosity of the previous Love Ride participants. Held each year in the beginning of November, the Love Ride attracts 15,000 to 20,000 riders with the sole purpose of being involved in something special, designed specifically to help out the less fortunate among us. This year marked the 24th installment of the perennial favorite; while that in itself is a major milestone, it pales in comparison to the Love Ride's standing as the jewel in the crown of newly established California Bike Week.

Instituting a change from previous events when the Love Ride was held as a stand-alone event, organizers made a move designed to bolster attendance, and give participants a wider array of activities to indulge in over the weekend.

Over the past few years Love Ride founder and owner of Harley-Davidson of Glendale (California), Oliver Shokouh, has been wracking his brain for ways to increase Love Ride's visibility and bring it's fund raising power to the next level. What began as a carnival to help raise money for charity behind Shokouh's shop has morphed into a huge annual event complete with big-name celebrities, blocks and blocks of cordoned off streets filled with tens of thousands of bikes and riders, police escorts, top-notch musical entertainment, riding exhibitions and more. Believe it or not, that was not enough for Shokouh; he knew there was room for improvement, expansion, and inclusion of more riders from all motorcycle genres, and demographics.

This year's event began like so many prior, outside of Glendale Harley-Davidson. Riders started arriving in the predawn hours of Sunday, November 11, by the time the sun's rays began illuminating the landscape, ten's of thousand's of riders had amassed in the streets around Shokouh's shop. Bikers paid no less than $70 each, (with advanced registration) which entitled them to a Love Ride 24 pin, patch, bandana, key chain, concert admission, trade show and a barbeque lunch. For riders wishing to donate more, there were a variety of other premiums from hats to vests to luggage awaiting those who were more generous.

By the time 7 a.m. rolled around the small stage just outside the dealership's front door was abuzz with activity. Captain Cardiac and the Coronaries entertained the leather-clad crowd amassed under the rain-threatening skies. If there were any in attendance whose eyes weren't quite open yet, the Captain and his crew cranked out some of their trademark '50s and '60s rock-and-roll getting them ready for funny-man Grand Marshall, Jay Leno. In his familiar role, Jay paraded VIP's and celebrities across the stage as he kept the crowd amused with jokes, jokes and more jokes

The Love Ride festivities included a trip to Pomona, where the Fairplex was hosting an AHDRA event. Here Pro Mod racer Donnie Huffman warms up his Harley rear before a run.

Romero's series utilizes rules that differ from that of the AMA, the result is highly competitive racing, affordable to both novice riders and homegrown teams. Riders charged around the 5/8-mile track at speeds approaching 110 mph while they battled fiercely for position in the turns. Racer George Roeder II went on to take top honors in the open class aboard his # 66 Harley-Davidson.

After the evening's racing was over Romero went on to say "We had all the top guys in flat-track, and they were at their best Saturday night. The fans poured in and showed their support, so we're excited to start planning for next year's California Bike Week."

Shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday morning the first wave of Pomona bound bikes began arriving at the Fairplex. For more than an hour bikes poured into the massive asphalt parking lot, a nice change from the cramped quarters at Lake Castiac. With their gear stored and bikes locked, attendees made their way through the turnstiles being greeted by more than 150 vendors displaying a myriad of motorcycle products. While there was definitely a slant toward the American V-Twin crowd, there were vendors showing off wares for all segments of the industry. Organizers tell us approximately 20,000 folks participated in the combination of Love Ride 24, drag racing, flat track racing and the trade show. When you consider that there was a very real chance of rain on Sunday, along with the change of venue, and an uncertain economy, California Bike Week Executive Director John Buck told us, "Everyone had fun, took full advantage of all the entertainment, demo rides, stunt riders and racing - the feedback thus far tells us we did a great job in this first year."

Big rigs and product displays were plentiful allowing attendees to peruse high-quality motorcycles and merchandise from the likes of Big Dog Motorcycles, J&P Cycles, Ron Simms, Victory Motorcycles, Big Bear Choppers, Bassani Exhaust, Kuryakyn and Vance & Hines. If it was bike related, it was there for you to purchase. In an effort to keep everyone entertained there were stunt shows from the best in the business, with Victor McLaglen Motor Corps Stunt Team and Jason Pullen amazing the crowd with their own unique styles. If you have never seen VMMC perform you need to do so, these guys are the quintessential motorcycle stunt team performing time-horned riding stunts harkening back to their roots in the 1930s. The American Motor Drome's skilled riders also thrilled the crowds performing their trademark stunts while riding vertical walls of the motor Drome's opened-top, cylindrical room - another must-see.

Harley-Davidson showed up with their traveling museum, drag race simulator, Screamin' Eagle displays and 2008 models for demo rides. If your tastes led you more in the exotic direction you could have also gone for a test ride on a V-8-powered Boss Hoss or one of the three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder's awaiting licensed, helmeted riders.