We’re big fans of “do-it-yourself” projects and also the rat-rod and vintage scene. You take a nice vintage 1950s-era Ford/GM etc with some small aesthetic improvements and contrasted that with a beautifully-tuned flathead or HEMI and we’re rockin! is my kind of thing. So when we read this posting at Jalopy Journal we knew that there is hope for some of our projects we’re afraid are getting a bit pricey due to paint schemes and time. This guy (name unknown) painted his 1966 Corvair in his driveway for $50! The ingredients included two quarts of your favorite Rustoleum (yep, the stuff you paint your grill, patio furniture or lawnmower fenders with etc), some mineral spirits and foam rollers. Yup. The man painted his ride with foam paint rollers! All his work was done in his driveway and his biggest worry was bugs getting fatally stuck in each of the seven coats he ended up applying. Fortunately sanding took them right out. He’s provided step-by-step instructions and follow up pictures up to 8 months after his initial paint job. His step-by-step instructions encourage others to do the same. Click HERE to see pic’s and read further. Who knows, maybe there’s a trend starting to happen and it will find it’s way to the two wheeled world. If any of you know someone willing or doing this to a bike, let us know!

No matter what you may think of todays motorcycle industry, we owe alot of thanks and respect to those companies/individuals of the industry during the 60’s and 70’s. Those companies were cutting some new trails with not only the machines, but also the way advertising looked and was presented to the public. Companies like Norton, BSA and Triumph started using more “sexy” ladies to sell their bikes, which over the course of time has become inseparable pieces of art in themselves. Others started using more direct opinionated statements and all started saying what those that were riding at the time we experiencing. If your wanting to take a walk either down memory lane (or want to learn something about the times), take a look HERE for more great examples of the period!

We as a nation and especially us as an inhabitant of this Earth, have to consider all options for saving our planet. Whether it’s in taking those 4 minute showers people talk about, to using more fuel efficient products or reduce the destruction of our rain forest. And we can’t leave out the motorcycle either. So when we saw the news release on the new Electric Motorcycle, we had a moral obligation to pass it on to our readers. Hey, it looks cool and bound to handle well, so who knows, you may see one of us on an Enertia in the not-to-far-future. The Ashland, Oregon-based manufacturer—Brammo Motorsports-the same collection of motorheads responsible for bringing the road-rocket Ariel Atom to U.S. shores—have decided to confront the global-warming frenzy with an actual product. A fun and efficient product. One that makes the similarly two-wheeled and battery-powered Segway look like an environmental pocket protector. It’s called the Enertia, an electric motorcycle so slick it couldn’t be cooler if it were frozen. On the green front, according to Brammo, this urban transportation tool can reduce a commuter’s carbon footprint by 92 percent. But you’d have to get out of that fossil-powered sled and commute every day on the Enertia to see that large of a reduction. But depending on where you live, any reduction to environmental impact couldn’t be easier, with perhaps the friendliest motorcycle yet. The Enertia’s appeal should spread widely since it lacks many of the traits that traditionally steer people away from a two-wheeled, mechanized ride. It requires no gas or oil, and thus smells like neither. It is nearly silent, has no exhaust and doesn’t get hot. It has no clutch or gearbox. It is light and narrow, and practically maintenance-free. If you’d consider riding a bicycle to work or school, you’ll have no issues wrapping your head around this transport option. Here are some stats: At the 100-percent power setting, Brammo claims a 0-30 mph time of 3.8 seconds—plenty of power for the urban jungle. Fuel storage for the Enertia consists of six 12-volt lithium-phosphate battery packs, which are exceptionally resistant to combustion. Instead of being filled with gasoline, the Enertia is “fueled” by simply plugging it into any 110-volt outlet. Clearly not a typical motorcycle, the Enertia has no fuel tank and no internal-combustion engine. The Enertia will reach an 80-percent charge in two hours, and be fully recharged in three. Most cell phones don’t even charge that fast. To make the motorcycle strong and lightweight, Brammo uses carbon fiber for the bike’s chassis. Brammo has just begun taking online orders in the U.S. for a limited edition “Carbon” model ($14,995), set for delivery in the first quarter of 2008. Check out the Enertial Bike HERE.

This is an open “Call to Action” letter for everyone to support by printing, signing and sending this following letter to the President of Shell Oil. It’s amazing how company officials can justify business decisions just for the almight buck….unfortunately it is a sign of the times we live in, but we don’t have to set back and say nothing!

To: John Hofmeister & Shell Oil Co.
John Hofmeister
President
Shell Oil Co.
P.O. Box 2463
Houston, TX 77252
(713) 241-6161

Dear Mr. Hofmeister,

It has come to our attention that Shell recently signed a $10 billion contract with the terrorist government of Iran.

We don’t need to remind you that the Iranian regime is oppressing 70 million people and has been one of the primary sponsors of terrorism for almost thirty years. The terrorist government of Iran controls some of the most notorious Islamic terrorist groups, and the Iranian president has threatened to wipe Israel, our only reliable ally in the Middle East, off the map. Not to mention that Iran is racing towards obtaining nuclear weapons.

When you were in Omaha on February 16, 2007 you stated that “Once it [oil] gets into the global trading market, it’s just oil. Whether it’s sourced from Venezuela or Mexico or Canada, it’s really hard to track it. It can be tracked, and it’s very hard, and most people don’t track it.” We agree, it is hard to track oil after it gets mixed. But you know what is easy? You can be 100% sure that an oil pipeline does not contain any oil from Iran if you do not import Iranian oil.

The terrorist government of Iran is complicit in some of the deaths of British and Dutch troops in Iraq. More than 150 of them were killed (http://icasualties.org/oif/DeathsByYear.aspx) since 2003, and Shell’s blatant disregard for the loss of life of their countrymen is abhorrent.

Maybe the Brits and the Dutch are okay with the fact that Shell provides financing to the terrorist regime, but the Americans are not.

Being an American, how can you sleep at night knowing that your company gives money to the terrorists who murder American troops?

We implore you to do the right thing and sever all ties with the terrorist Iranian regime.

We do not wish to put your company out of business, but we urge you to consider the consequences of Chavez’ UN speech: over 2,000 7-Eleven stations dropped Citgo. Can you imagine the uproar when American people realize that Shell is partly responsible for 3,500+ dead Americans? Maybe Shell could withstand the pressure from the American government; but we highly doubt that it would be able to withstand the pressure from the American people.

The undersigned,

Sincerely,

We as an industry, (whether your someone that makes a living by building, servicing etc or as a participant/rider/hobbiest), have opportunities regularly to show our strength and numbers, such as charity or group rides locally. However, that same “show of strength” is not necessarily present nationally unless WE participate in a specific day that is promoted to the general public as well as politicians. Participation shows that motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life; That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities; That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation and that motorcycling is a social good Which makes the “Ride to Work Day“ event even more important. So mark this on your calendar, get your bike ready and show yourself as a participant in a unique and unified way.

If you like AMERICAN CHOPPER on the Discovery Channel, you will enjoy AMERICAN FABRICATOR! The featured character is a self-employed fabricator working out of his own shop with welding equipment and machine tools.

As we’re seeing, fabrication is a lost art and these skills (and humor) will die with the remaining fabricators left in America while places like China and Taiwan pick up the slack. I had to laugh periodically as this show is entertaining and almost educational. You can watch the drama unfold as the fabricator dodges burglars, tornados, hail storms, and a wide variety of shop disasters. Enjoy and learn.

Man, it seems like just yesterday that we drug our butts back from the last Sturgis Rally! Now, Guilty is packing up again with our newest products (you’ll be excited to see some of them too along with the guys from Jail House Choppers and BAM) at this year event. This years Sturgis is shaping up to be quite a gathering of vendors, builders, media, promoters etc etc. We’re hearing and seeing alot of alternative stages, events, media specials, etc coming that were not part of the last years event. One show to check out is the Rats Hole Show. This year we’re not entering the AMD show as it is just too hard to finish builds and develop products along with keeping the company afloat. Plus, to be honest, how many bikes can we sell off of this show anyway? Not many. Word of mouth seems to work best for us Guilty Guys. We’ll update everyone once we get our head screwed back on after the event, which could be awhile i’m sure!

Almost every guy (and some women) get a bit cranked up when they hear “hemi”. We do everytime we crank up our big Dodge 1500 Hemi to head off to events or shagging parts. So wouldn’t it make us all happy to have one thumpin between our legs at the light one night? Well, after heading to the mailbox last week, we find promotional materials soliciting possible dealers for a company, called Revolution Performance Motors (RPM) that is producing a hemi for evo’s! No seriously. Take a look and judge for yourself. The company says they provide high quality 4=valve engines and head sets for V-Twin. Their patented Hemi 4- Valve heads move 1.5 times more air than the stock 2 valve head. Due to the hemispherical design of the heads and the position of the spark plug in the center of the chamber, engines are able to run less timing advance. This allows for higher compression without pinging or knocking. A 96 cu. in. 2 valve motor can make 70-80hp. The same motor with our Hemi 4 Valve Head kit installed makes 90-100HP. When it comes to getting off the line, this Hemi 4 Valve Heads give a 96 incher over 100ft/lbs of torque at 4000rpm. Hmmm, guess we’ll have to get that sticker on the back of our bike now that says “yeah, it’s a hemi”

I have to admit, it’s taking a bit of adjusting to say “i’d possibly build something like a sport bike” especially with our history here at Guilty of building rigids only. And with my personal experience, there is something about the look and feel of a v-twin in a rigid frame. So when we saw this frame (War Horse) from Big Twin Racers and started seeing reviews and comments on other sites we had to take a serious look at our prejudices and view of the industry. Granted, the trends we’re seeing now are towards baggers, bobbers, old school street platform racers (see our own Dais’d bike) and combined off-road tires, composites etc. So to see this new and yet untried (by that we mean with ton’s of miles on it) we’re still holding our breath on the outcome…but we wish them the best and would love to hear from those that have taken the plunge with this format….for us, we’ll take the “wait and see” approach.
Here is some materials we’ve gotten from his promotion machine…..The design of the BTR War Horse is taking the kit bike industry in a new direction. Never before has there ever been a more sport oriented big twin available to the public. With it’s race inspired geometry, aggressive riding style and top shelf components……… Curt Winter, owner and designer of the Big Twin Racer, has been building sport oriented bikes for the past ten years……… Designed from the ground up, starting with a perimeter style tube frame, single shock rear suspension…… strategically assembled to give the rider a sensation that is second to none. The idea was to take a big American V-twin and stuff it into a sport bike chassis, use quality suspension components, powerful brakes and an aggressive riding style……Critical components such as oil tank and gas tank are rubber mounted so that over time vibration won’t be a problem.