Noot

Sturgis 2013 - Just the way I ordered it . . . .

I've been out to the rally about 15 times now. Each trip is different. It makes Sturgis fun for me. You can make plans (which helps), but you always have to vary your plans. You never know who you will meet, what you will see, or what will happen to you. This year I rode a bit solo, with Ricky, with a guy from Holland, and with the Death Squad Riders . . . and solo again. I rode out in 2 days, back in 1 very long day of road construction and a battery with 10.9 volts and dropping. My '64 XL never let me down. My bike took me there and back. I won a trophy(thanks Matt Olsen, who digs my Sporty) and a $500 buck Baker Gift Certificate (Thank you Bert and James). I met some neat people, checked out the Micheal Lichter Show, ate some groovy food, talked to Roland Sands (about Jeff Wright), partied my ass off with Kike, watched flat track races, went out for a nite with my dad, sang karaoke at The Oasis, went to the Adams Museum, ate ice cream with Willard & Jody in Deadwood . . . and talked with Alva & Irene for an entire afternoon, drinkin' beer and hearing stories about the black hills - Classic ! Then I met a cool couple from Michigan who passed me like 9 times and . . . after I talked with them at a gas stop - he slapped a couple "I Know Noot" stickers right on his windshield for the sake of prosperity. It was different. It was fun. It cleared my mind of radical thoughts. That's what I like about Sturgis - That One Week of all the other 51 that makes it worth the trip.

Black Hills Rally Replay . . .

Alva "King of the Hills" - Gypsie Hillclimb

The guy I stay with is a Sturgis, SD native. He drove a tour bus for years, then ran his own custom woodworking business. Alva has a lot of stories and has studied the history of the Black Hills. A walking encyclopedia of information. Here's a shot of him and his Yamaha (at least still on his feet) goin' for glory !
We joke sometimes about riding 650 miles just to sit on lawn chairs in Alva's driveway - listen to stories . . . and drink beer.

A Stumble ?

I've rode this motorcycle many many miles. No speedometer. No tach. No gauges. I know what the motor sounds like when everything is spot on. I inspected the plugs - I set the valves. Guess what? My breaker point gap had narrowed . . . .014. That changes your dwell (measurement in degrees my #2 cam rotates with the points open). Like a mother that knows when her baby is a little sick - I knew something was fishy in Denmark. I don't need a prescription for this one - all home remedy !

Sturgis, SD - Priceless Images

The Rapid City Journal just released some photos of the Black Hills Rally

(courtesy of the Meade County Times)

See the journal for over 195 old photos . . .

Michael Lichter Ton-Up 2013

Those bloody Brits, a ton, chips, clip-ons, pints . . . tea time !

If you've never been out to "The Chip" at Sturgis
and had the pleasure of seeing a Lichter event ?
They are bloody cool !

This one highlights the cafe-racer culture . . .

Go check it out . . .

Cool Art . . .

Cool Paint . . .

GW @ F.T.S. this year . . .

The Heart tribute - she really rocks it !

My dad (original Noot) - Engine Builder

Years ago, Noot's name was in Easyriders Magazine (Nov. 1976) when he did the motor work on this Pan/Shovel Stroker Custom built by Boyd Dingman of Charles City, Iowa. An 86" motor was a big deal back then - and this thing ran pretty hard. I picked up this un-circulated issue since he didn't have a copy. Dingman still builds, paints and drag races his custom motorcycles - and it makes you wonder if this project had been a failure - would Boyd (or Noot for that matter) still be doin' it ? As it turned out - they both are still bitten by the bug !

K Mods . . .

You take a Linkert / Bendix Adapter and saw off the Bendix flange. Then, you turn off the spigot using a 4 jaw chuck - and utilize the Mikuni 38mm rubber spigot. This moved my carb in about 1 1/2" and gave it more stability, and a bit more throttle response . . . AND more leg room for panic braking situations !
Thanks to Jeff Mac for makin' the shavings !

Terry Vance

TWO STROKE SMOKE . . .

I've noticed 2 cycle dirt track motorcycles are still quite popular in Europe - more so than in the USA.

It's slightly more archaic over there, since the sport never evolved to the status of our circuits. They still utilize 2 cycle powerplants (over here it's all CRF, YZF, XR, TT, Rotax).

Our national circuit seems to be dying a slow death since the AMA cut-backs, and sponsors pulling out.

I suspect the problem over here might be that we have so much liability coverage to deal with. Insurance.

Possibly more lenient in European circles ? (no pun intended).