Born To Ride News

Race-Long Battle Ends in Win for Latus Harley-Davidson rider Joe Kopp

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (Aug. 7, 2010) – Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kenny Coolbeth led 12 laps and finished second in a back-and-forth battle with Latus Harley-Davidson rider Joe Kopp in the Grand National Twins main at the Hagerstown Speedway half-mile, the 10th round of the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com. Kopp rode a Harley-Davidson XR-750 to take the win. Blue Springs Harley-Davidson rider Jared Mees was third, also on a Harley-Davidson.

Mees was the fastest qualifier for the event and won the four-lap Dash for Cash bonus sprint, but it was Coolbeth who got a jump on the field at the start of the 25-lap main. A crash on the first lap by Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson brought the race to a quick halt. Coolbeth was first again on the re-start and led Kopp, Mees and King Kustoms/KK Motorcycle Supply rider Sammy Halbert for the first two laps. The race was then stopped for another crash just as Coolbeth crossed the finish line to complete lap three. On the ensuing re-start, Coolbeth led with Kopp right on his wheel, and the pair of past champions immediately opened a gap on Robert Pearson and Halbert, as Mees slipped back to sixth place. Kopp took the lead from Coolbeth on lap nine, only to see Coolbeth get past on lap 13 as the pair maintained a lead of about 1.5 seconds on Mees, who had worked himself back to third place. Kopp passed Coolbeth again for the lead on lap 18, and began to gradually pull away as the laps wound down, and won by 0.974 seconds to take his third Grand National Twins victory of the season.

“This was a great race with Kopp and I’m sure it was exciting to watch,” said Coolbeth. “I was really happy to get the hole shot with the factory Harley three times tonight. At the end, I think Kopp just found a better line and was able to carry more speed in the corners. I tried to follow his line but could not make it work, and he was able to get away. Now we’ll get ready for the mile at Indy, where we had a big win last year.”

After 10 events, Kopp leads the AMA Pro K&N Filters Grand National Championship with 193 points. Halbert and Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson are tied for second place with 175 points. Mees is third with 164 points, followed by KK Motorcycle Supply/Mike & Eddie Adkins rider Henry Wiles with 160 points. Coolbeth is in sixth with 152 points.

The AMA Grand National Twins will next race August 28 on the Indiana Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.

Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information.

The Screamin’ Eagle Flat Track team is sponsored by Matco Tools.

The Wild Angels

The Wild Angels

The iconic 1966 film featuring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, and a cast of hundreds, is one of the most well-known biker exploitation films ever produced. In this classic film the “Angels” a California Motorcycle Club, travel across the state to retrieve a stolen motorcycle belonging to one of the clubs members “the Loser.” Heavenly Blues (Fonda) is the charismatic club president. At times he seems to have to ‘baby-sit’ his troop of fun-loving boozers and druggies.
This one is a favorite of mine, because the producers actually used real Harley-Davidson ‘choppers’ and actually cast some of the real members of the Hell’s Angels. In short, it is one of those films that give bikers in general a ‘bad’ name, but those of us who really know the true way of the biker lifestyle will find it entertaining, and at times hilarious.
The Angels ride through the desert to Mecca, California to look for the Loser’s stolen motorcycle. They accuse a group of Mexicans in a repair shop of stealing the motorcycle when the Loser finds his brake pedal on a workbench. After some mild insults and accusations naturally, a fight breaks out in the shop and the ‘taco benders’ as Fonda calls them wind up on the losing end. The police arrive, chasing the Angels on foot, and the Loser escapes on a parked police motorcycle. After a chase on mountain roads, one of the officers shoots the Loser in the back, and he later ends in a local hospital.
Blues leads a small group of Angels to rescue the Loser and they subsequently “bust him out” of the hospital. In the melee a nurse is accosted by one of the Angels who knocks her out to keep the cops from discovering their presence in the hospital. The nurse later identifies Blues as one of the men she saw however; the audience knows that it was thanks to Blues’ intervention the assault stopped short of rape. Blues rebukes the member just before the cops notice their ‘suspect’ is gone. Later, the Loser dies at the Angels’ local watering hole from his injuries. The Angels move his body to an undertaker’s office-he demands cash “plus tax.” Using a forged death certificate the Angels arrange a funeral at a tiny church in the Loser’s rural hometown. During the service, Blues steps up to the minister and says those famous words “We just want to be free. Free to ride our machines without a hassle from the man. …” But when Blues says they just want to have fun, the Angels turn the service into a major party. The Angels remove the Loser from his Nazi flag-draped casket, sit him up and place a joint in his mouth. Meanwhile they also knock out the minister, tie him up and place him in the casket.
Later, the Angels proceed to the Sequoia Grove cemetery to bury the Loser. The procession of noisy bikers gets the attention of the locals, who all gather to see the spectacle. One of the local kids throws a rock at the Angels and naturally yet another fight breaks out. This interruption prevents burying the Loser, and as police sirens wail in the background everyone scatters. One of the members begs Blues to go, but he refuses and tells his girl to leave with another member of the gang. This is where the other most remembered phrase comes in, as Blues sighs “there’s nowhere to go.”
The last of the group leaves and Blues picks up a shovel and returns to the grave to bury the Loser.
Just as I was going to call all my boozing buddies over to watch this flick once again, a knock came at the door. I opened it to see a mailman with an overnight package. I signed for it and opened it up, expecting something good. It was just a DVD and a note from the editor of this magazine demanding an immediate review of The Twilight Zone Episode #138 from 1964. This was disappointing news.
In this short film a group of ‘bikers’ if you want to call them that are actually aliens from another planet sent to earth to infiltrate a small town. The local folks actually become fond of this odd cast, and befriend them. Little did they know the space-bikers were there to poison their water supply!
I dunno … I suppose that it was getting late and I drifted off to sleep somewhere after the giant eyeball in the 1950s TV screen requested them to continue with the plan of destruction. This particular episode albeit cute, doesn’t really rate very high up there in the ‘biker exploitation’ world. I guess that’s just because it only exists in The Twilight Zone. …

Combining Versatility, Comfort and Value

MILWAUKEE (July 28, 2010) – With a removable, zip-out hooded vest, the new Holiday Miss Enthusiast 3-in-1 Casual Jacket (P/N 97444-11VW, $150) from the Harley-Davidson^® MotorClothes^® line provides three-in-one versatility. The 80-percent cotton/20-percent nylon outer jacket has zippered cuffs and snap waist tabs for a custom fit, and three pockets for stowing gear. The 95-percent polyester/5-percent spandex hooded vest with two pockets adds extra warmth when worn with the jacket, while either item can be worn separately. Embroidered graphics highlight both pieces. Available in XS – 3W, Petite and Tall sizes.

The Holiday Miss Enthusiast 3-in-1 Casual Jacket is available beginning in October 2010 at most Harley-Davidson dealerships.

 For additional information on Harley-Davidson MotorClothes products, see your local Harley-Davidson dealer or visit harley-davidson.com. To find a dealer near you, call 1.800.LUV.2RIDE in the U.S. or Canada.

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has a full complement of resources available to publishers, editors, art directors and web editors to support the AMA’s “Think. Ride.” public service announcement (PSA) campaign. The video, audio, print and web messages promote responsible riding and driver awareness. Noted actor and AMA Board of Directors member Perry King is featured in the video and audio messages.

We invite you to preview and download them here.

The series of King-narrated “Think. Ride.” audio and video PSAs encourage proper riding gear and safe, responsible riding practices, and discourage impaired riding and excessive exhaust sound. Another alerts car and truck drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and the need to be aware of motorcyclists on the road.

The print and web assets include full- and half-page print PSAs that promote responsible off-highway recreation, quieting excessively loud motorcycle exhausts, and avoiding drinking and riding.

King, an avid off-highway and street rider, is well known for playing the character Cody Allen in the 1980s television series Riptide. He has also appeared on stage and in movies, including “Slaughterhouse Five,” “The Lords of Flatbush” with Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler, and “The Choirboys.”

Please consider placing these PSAs prominently to reach your readers, viewers and listeners. We are also interested in your feedback and would appreciate your suggestions for future improvements or messages. Just drop me a line at at peter.terhorst@sympoint.com, or call toll-free (877) 877-8969.