Helmet’s and their Art
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
We call it “Self expression”. That opportunity each of us have to express our own taste, views, gripes or even prejudices. The medium we express it “on” however varies. Some do “it” on clothing, others on metal and still others on helmets. So we figured we’d start posting some pic’s of peoples helmets we’ve seen or owned ourselves and am asking those that use their own helmets as a form of expression to send us one or two pic’s so we can show the world. We’re thinking this could turn into a cool contest where some swag could be given away if we have enough participants. So how about it?!?
So, your trying to figure out what to get old pop’s for Father’s Day but stumped? Why not try Jesse James’ new product line made in conjunction with Kiehl. Looks like Jesse has partnered with Kiehl’s to create a Limited Edition Men’s Dopp Kitt. (yep, you read it correctly). And if your man (son, father, boyfriend, husband….you get the idea) is into motorcycles, then make sure to take him by the East Village Kiehl’s Store where founding family member Aaron Morse’s motorcycles are on display - including those formerly owned by Hollywood icons Steve McQueen and Clark Gable. 
Seems a trucker was traveling down the highway near Tulsa Oklahoma around 1 o’clock in the morning. At the same time a motorcyclist was traveling at ~120mph and ran into the back of the moving semi-truck. The driver said he felt the impact, and it took almost a 1/4 mile for him to pull over. This is what he found..and yes the fellow lived in spite of his stupidity
Yep, things have definitely taken a turn here in “motorcycle land”. Challenged to rethink motorcycle transportation, Art Center College of Design student Jake Loniak decided that having a “motorcycle as an extension of the body” was a literal statement. Inspired by Bio-mechatronics and called the Deus Ex Machina, (means “God out of a Machine”) Loniak’s concept is an electric vertically parking motorcycle controlled by 36 pneumatic muscles with 2 linear actuators. Yamaha has already branded the Deus Ex concept which is worn as an exo-skeleton with seven artificial vertebra as well as the pneumatically attached helmet. The motor is in-wheel, powered by ultra-capacitors and doped nano-phoshpate batteries similar to those already used in hybrids, and is capable of 0-60mph in 3 seconds. Top speed is 75mph with a recharge time of 15 minutes and cycle time of 1 hour. We have a few concerns/questions like: What happens if you go “down” or take a corner too hard?. Where can my girl ride? And when entered into a show, is this classified as “new metric or future metric”? Can’t image it at bike nights! Apparently there is no storage compartments for luggage, bags, tools etc. Well, you can’t have everything….but it’s cool looking. IF you want to find out more, click 
Well, if a Triumph can run on apples, why can’t a V-Twin be made to run on, say BBQ or Beer! Here’s the story-Students from the Prince William School in Oundle, Northamptonshire, with help of Bike magazine editor Rupert Paul, have converted a Triumph Daytona 675 to run on a bioethanol fuel made out of apples. With help of Triumph motorcycles, they managed to modify the fuel injection system to run on the new fuel. Some 6,000 apples were required, but in the end, it worked. The Triumph Daytona 675 managed a top speed of 158.7 mph (from the original 135) on the track. So there you have it, an alternative fuel motorcycle, that can really move. 
I’m trying not to laugh as i post this so here goes. Ok, we all know that if you ride a rigid cycle or have a habit of riding long distances on your bike, you WILL get a case of “baboon butt“. That nice tickle numb feeling on your back side and no matter what you do (stopping, stretching, re-adjusting, butt puckering, etc) your going to be receiving that gift once you hit a few hundred miles. Period, no argument. Well, some people have resorted to a bit more practical manner to address this and taking the cue’s from our non-motorized friends, the bicyclist. Seem a company called 
Ok, it’s not breaking news or anything important but we still thought you’d get a kick out of this. Couple of friends and i were jawing the other day and one said he’d seen a bit of news over at the site 
Recently we were talking with a friend who is the owner of a new H-D Nightster who swore to us that the new line of “Dark Customs” have paint which is made “to scratch and wear off”. Of course we thought he had too many beers….but sure enough he was sober….seems a NY Times article written by Phil Patton quotes Ray Drea, who is the Sr. Director for Styling at H-D as saying “One of the paints is called “denim”. It is designed to be roughed and rubbed off.” So, now along with your jeans which are a bit dirtied, torn, frayed and worn, now your bike can be too. Seems the manufacturer (and possibly others) are following a trent of building “new old looking” bikes. Of course if your an “old dog” that has had a bike (or two, three etc) for any amount of time, your bike is already “roughed up and rubbed off“. It’s that way because the bikes are built to be ridden. Of course if a buyer wants a bike that looks like it’s already been to “hell and back” they can bring it over to our new “conditioning department” for some fine tuning and “breaking in“. And we’ll only charge you a extra 2k for it. Or if your really wanting that seasoned rider look, just order the bike raw, break out the rattle can’s, drink a few beers and have at it. Wouldn’t cost you more than $100.00 or so.
Many think that Americans are fanatical about our motorcycles. We paint, pamper and ogle over our (and others) bikes as well as spend thousands of dollars yearly up-fitting, customizing or building bikes as well as touring our country (and world). But how serious are we if we haven’t built homes that accommodate our passions? Yeah, we have garages to park them in but that’s not really “living with” your bike, now is it? Well, the Japanese love their motorcycles too! And they show it by building 
an apartment complex that accommodates such passion. If you’ve been to Japan you know first hand that property is at an ultra-premium. And a huge percentage of the population lives in apartments. With the small-space restrictions considered, it only makes sense to have an apartment designed for motorcyclists only. The JaThe NE complex consists of eight apartment units, all of which have space for indoor storage, accessible from the street. Now that is what we can call living with your passion!
Detail. Something that is often overlooked but never far from the mind of artist. Having seen the 2007 issue of the Urban Biker Goddess Calendar (UBG) it was good to see they have followed up this year’s calendar again focusing on the details of fine art and women riders. Composed of old favorites and new creations, this calendar is a 12-month celebration of the spirit of the female motorcycle rider, as seen through the computer generated artwork of Carole Bennett. Past or present, two-wheeled vehicles of all kinds are represented, including cruisers, choppers and sport bikes. “I’ve received all kinds of positive feedback regarding this art theme; there’s a dire shortage of popular art depicting women motorcyclists in a strong, positive light.” Carole’s art has received industry recognition, having been profiled as a “Featured Artist” in July 2007 by Helmet Hair Magazine.
When asked why this art theme has such significance to her, Carole’s response was “I have daughters, and now granddaughters; one daughter is a mechanic, and the other belongs to a motorcycle club. I wanted to create motorcycle art that reflects their strength, their dignity and even playfulness, but most of all, their value as people, as well as their ability to bond with these beautiful machines.” The 2008 Urban Biker Goddess Calendar may be ordered through the website at 
Seems like the good folks at UK insurance provider 
Seems that the Danish have found a unique way to get their drivers to slow down! They use the 
