The Goodguys 2009 event season comes to a climactic close this weekend as the 12th Southwest Nationals cruises into West World of Scottsdale! The popular event features close to 3,000 1972 and earlier rods, customs and classics, indoor and outdoor vendor exhibits, a great swap meet and cars for sale corral, model car show, special exhibits, kick off parties and everything else the hot rod lover could want.

For more info please go to www.good-guys.com or straight to the dedicated event web site at www.southwestnats.com.

- - C.S. Berg

This past Saturday, November 14, 2009, thousands gathered at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC for the museum's seventh annual motorcycle raffle Held during the annual Haywood County Toy Run, put on by the local Blue Ridge Thunder Motorcycle Club, this year's drawing drew one of the largest crowds since the museum's opening in 2002.

With sunny skies and countless eager toy runners and raffle entrants, the atmosphere was perfect for giving away the beautiful 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead to one lucky winner.

MORGAN HILL, CA — Date: 11-188-2009 Fast, Black and Furious is the best way to describe this 2009 FXD-I. After years of building and riding, Rich Fulk, Custom Chrome's Product Line Manager, decided it was time to build a bike where form, function, and style merged. First there were a few criteria that had to be met. It had to be fast. It had to have that aggressive look. And last, it couldn't be a 'Bagger'!

See the wheelstand in the Thursday News.

You could become the new owner of the custom chopper recently featured on TLC's American Chopper and gracing the cover of the album OCC Rocks, which is available now at all major retailers. The bike was designed and built during the October 29th episode of the current season.

Enter to win the custom chopper at www.occrocks.com. Contest closes Friday, November 20.

- - C.S. Berg

Harley-Davidson will announce next week which investment bank is going to be handling the sale process of Italian Motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta, according to MV's managing director, Enrico D'Onofrio. H-D bought the Italian manufacturer just about one year ago for Euro 70 million and announced the decision to purge the traditional Italian bike brand from its portfolio during the unveiling of H-D's long-term business strategy on October 15.

Check the whole story by C.S.Carsten, in the Sunday Post. Quick, Join the Cantina

Brando Enterprises and Triumph Motorcycles have entered into an agreement for the design and recreation of the leather jacket worn by Marlon Brando in the iconic movie "The Wild One". The replica jacket will be an addition to Triumph's popular apparel line, Triumph Legends.

Catch the whole story and a shot of Brando in the Sunday Post:Quick, Join the Cantina

Miguel Galluzzi and Pierre Terblanche are without a doubt two of the most brilliant motorcycle designers out there. The former being an industrial designer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the inventor of Ducati's highly successful Monster family, the latter a native of South Africa and responsible for Ducati's most controversial and successful models: the 999 and Sport Classic series. These two have teamed up to center their combined expertise around Moto Guzzi's legendary in-line twin-cylinder engine. The result are three futuristic V12 prototypes, developed around the 1,200 cc 4-valve 90-degree V-twin from Mandello.

See all the wild models in the Bikernet Thursday News, later today.

Viper Motorcycle Company Launches Branding Campaign With Motorcycle Displays and Prepares for Formal Launch

Viper Motorcycle Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Viper Powersports Inc., is pleased to announce the release of the 2010 Viper Diamondback 152. 2010 models are a continued result of ongoing development and a joint venture effort with Ilmor Engineering. Product availability will be limited as we move into 2010 and prepare for a formal industry wide launch.

See the whole story later today in the Bikernet Thursday News.

 Honor Among Soldiers  -By Joseph L. Galloway  

If you have fed from a steady diet of Hollywood movies about Vietnam you probably believe that everyone who wore a uniform in America's long, sad involvement in war in Vietnam is some sort of a clone of Lt. William Calley---that all three million of them were drug-crazed killers and rapists who rampaged across the pastoral landscape.                

Those movies got it wrong, until now. There is one more Hollywood film now playing called We Were Soldiers and it gets it right. Ask any Vietnam veteran who has gone to see the movie. In fact, ask any American who has gone to see it. It is based on a book I wrote with my lifelong friend Lt. Gen. (ret) Hal Moore; a book written precisely because we believed that a false impression of those soldiers had taken root in the country which sent them to war and, in the end, turned its back on both the war and the warriors.                

I did four tours in Vietnam as a war correspondent for United Press International- --1965-66, 1971, 1973 and 1975. In the first three of those tours at war I spent most of my time in the field with the troops and I came to know and respect them and even love them, though most folks might find the words "war" and "love" in the same sentence unsettling if not odd.                

In fact, I am far more comfortable in the company of those once-young soldiers today than with any other group except my own family. They are my comrades-in- arms, the best friends of my life and if ever I were to shout "help!" they would stampede to my aid in a heartbeat. They come from all walks of life; they are black, white, Hispanic, native American, Asian; they are fiercely loyal, dead honest, entirely generous of their time and money. They are my brothers and they did none of the things Oliver Stone or Francis Ford Coppola would have you believe all of them did.

Read more of this story from Chopper Dave Monson, in the news tomorrow.

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11/15/2009 - The photograph was taken at the Antique Motorcycle Meet at Dixon, California, Jun 2009. The owner is CW4r James E. Bundgaard in a period Army Warrant Officer uniform on a 1941, 741B Army Indian Motorcycle.

Streambank, LLC, an advisory firm specializing in the sale of intangible assets, today announced that the intangible assets of American IronHorse Motorcycles, the Fort Worth, TX-based volume manufacturer of V-twin motorcycles, are for sale. Streambank will be marketing the assets through the end of the year and plans on completing a sale in January 2010.

The assets for sale include all trademarks, including but not limited to, American IronHorse, Texas Chopper, Slammer, Legend, Tejas and Outlaw model names. Also for sale will be the URLs, patents, and all available proprietary motorcycle and parts designs. The company's data containing contact and valuable demographic information will be available as well.

More news is flying into the Bikernet Interplanetary headquarters every second. We will deliver the whole story in the Bikernet Thursday News.

The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. Courts have generally ruled that a law enforcement agency must have probable cause to perform a traffic stop, as a traffic stop is generally considered a search and seizure as protected by the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court has historically suggested that a roadblock or roadside safety check for the purpose of checking license and registration can be permissible if it involves minimal intrusion and seizure. The Court uses a balancing test wherein it weighs the state's interest in performing the stop against the extent and nature of the search and seizure. This means that if the stop is short, and limited to a brief check of license and registration, it has been generally held constitutional.

The issue most motorcyclists are concerned about is not the initial stop. The question I hear most is this; while the police have a motorcyclist stopped for a roadside safety check, if they detect alcohol, drugs, or some other violation, can they perform a more extensive search? The short answer is sometimes. Don't miss the Thursday News for the whole story.

For information on how to handle police encounters, contact Hupy & Abraham for the free video "Busted", which deals with traffic stops and how to deal with police knocking on your door at home. Just click on the banner above.

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11/14/2009 - As an ABATE of Illinois member, I can attest that this issue is a hot topic within our organization. All concerned agreed that motorcycle-specific "safety" checks are a new and distressing concern. The problem which keeps coming up, however, is how exactly do we as motorcyclists and members of ABATE of Illinois pursue this issue without being branded as NOT being concerned about motorcyclist safety (one of our guiding principals). Ostensibly, a "safety" check only cat

Plus the No Love party at WCC is this weekend in Long Beach, California. We may bring you a report, maybe not. It's $50 to get in, and that's not in our economic plan right now.

This weekend at the Peterson Museum, they are auctioning off lots of Steve McQueen memorabilia.

Then later this month in New Zealand:

NEW EVENT! Burt Munro Challenge Hill Climb: A popular event with Burt himself, this race is set to become another spectacular part of an already action packed weekend. 11am, Thursday 26th, Flagstaff Road in Bluff . The Rally campsite will be open on Thursday night for those wishing to stay but with limited facilities.

Check the Bikernet Thursday News for more developments.

MILWAUKEE (November 5, 2009) - Today Harley-Davidson announced plans to commemorate the 2nd Annual Women Riders Month in May 2010 by hosting women riders in its hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., on May 22 and 23, 2010. Women Riders Month is designed to celebrate the millions of women who have already grabbed life by the handlebars, as well as inspire more women to experience the freedom of the open road.

See the whole story in the Sunday Post: Quick, Join the Cantina

BUFFALO CHIP CAMPGROUND, SD (November 4, 2009) - Rod Woodruff, owner of the Legendary Buffalo Chip and purveyor of many Sturgis memories, will be featured on an episode of Car Crazy Television to air November 9. Car Crazy Television, the leading worldwide automotive enthusiast television show, visited Sturgis Bike Week this past August to get a behind-the-scenes peak of the yearly festival's inner-workings.

Host of Car Crazy TV, Barry Meguiar, took a moment from the high-caliber good times to speak with Woodruff regarding the role of the Legendary Buffalo Chip in the success of Sturgis Bike Week and how it has become synonymous with the true Sturgis experience.

Hey, don't miss the entire lurid story in the Sunday Post: Quick, Join the Cantina

The Siemens Smart Chopper, Orange County Choppers' first custom electric motorcycle, will be featured on this week's episode of American Chopper on TLC, airing today Thursday, November 5th at 9pm EST.

- - C.S. Berg

Check the news for more shots and a chance to win: www.bikernet.com/news/

Harley-Davidson and Buell are getting ready for the EICMA in Milan, Italy, one of the largest motorcycle exhibitions worldwide, which will open it's gates to trade and media visitors on November 10, to the general public two days later on November 12. Yes, you read it right: Buell will be part of the Motor Company's display as well - and we have that from the highest authority, Harley-Davidson Italy themselves. Despite the shock of the production stop a short while ago,

Buell appears to be by far not dead and buried. While continued display of Buell motorcycles may be just an effort to help dealers sell the bikes they still have in stock, it would be only appropriate if an opportunity would arise for Eric Buell and his team to continue the amazing work they have done.

There's more to come in the Bikernet Thursday News tomorrow. www.bikernet.com/news/